A Week of Warnings: German Unions and Scientists Push Back Against Coalition Reform Plans
06.07.2026 - 00:41:03 | boerse-global.de
Warning strikes at four university hospitals in Baden-Württemberg kicked off a tense week for Germany’s governing coalition. Verdi called workers out at the clinics in Freiburg, Heidelberg, Tübingen and Ulm on Monday to pressure employers in ongoing wage talks. The union is demanding a 7.5 percent pay raise over twelve months. Management has countered with an offer spread across two years and eight months. The hospitals point to combined losses of roughly €99 million.
The walkouts are only one front in a broader confrontation. Sylvia Bühler, a member of Verdi’s federal board, warned Sunday that the government’s plans to scrap the nursing-staffing measurement tool PPR 2.0 could become “life-threatening” for patients. A new financing system for the current nursing budget is scheduled to replace it in 2028, with costs capped in the meantime. A related bill is expected to pass parliament this week.
Sociologist Jutta Allmendinger joined the chorus of criticism over the weekend. She argued that the coalition’s proposals on pensions, health care, long-term care and taxes would disproportionately harm women. One flashpoint is the planned elimination of free spousal co-insurance in the statutory health insurance system. Allmendinger called for a massive expansion of childcare infrastructure as compensation.
She also flagged flaws in the planned capital-funded pension. Periods of child-raising would not trigger additional state contributions, putting mothers at a disadvantage. If the government abolishes mini-jobs without creating sufficient childcare options, Allmendinger warned, the black market is likely to grow. Her own remedy: scrap the income-splitting system for married couples to improve economic equality.
On the industrial front, IG Metall launched a protest wave under the banner “Ruhrpott-Rebellion” to oppose cuts to social benefits. After actions in Gelsenkirchen and Duisburg at the beginning of July, further demonstrations are planned until July 11. Bosch’s works council chief Frank Sell is calling for a task force for the automotive industry, pointing to savings plans at Volkswagen and job cuts at BMW.
Additional friction concerns the government’s push to make working hours more flexible and to tighten sick-leave rules. The coalition aims to introduce a weekly maximum working hours instead of a daily limit by autumn. The German Federation of Trade Unions insists the eight-hour day must stay. On the proposed requirement for a doctor’s note from the first day of illness, DIW economist Daniel Graeber warned that more people would visit surgeries, raising infection risks. His data shows telephone sick notes account for only 0.8 to 1.2 percent of cases, meaning their removal would barely affect overall absenteeism. A YouGov survey found 59 percent of respondents oppose a mandatory note from day one.
Despite the national tensions, local-level efforts on gender equality continue. The city of Osnabrück renewed its commitment to the EU Charter for Equality between Women and Men at the start of July, adopting an action plan through 2030 with a focus on education. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the “PerMenti” project reported positive results. Running from 2023 to 2026, it supported the professional integration of qualified women with refugee or migration backgrounds. At a closing event in Dortmund, organizers said such initiatives make a crucial contribution to securing skilled labor. A follow-up project is already being planned.
