Dual Strikes Rock Germany’s Public Transport and University Hospitals as Labour Tensions Boil Over
Published on 06/16/2026 at 04:45 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
Hundreds of operations were cancelled across Baden-WĂĽrttemberg this week after around 1,500 staff at four university hospitals walked off the job for two days. The walkout, organised by the Verdi union, shut down surgical wards at clinics in Freiburg, Heidelberg, Ulm and TĂĽbingen. Hospital beds could not be filled for non-emergency cases. The facilities stressed that emergency care remained fully available throughout. A separate rally took place in TĂĽbingen.
The hospital action coincided with the build-up to what will be the fifth strike at SWU mobil in Ulm, scheduled for Friday 19 June. Buses and trams in the city are expected to grind to a halt. The dispute involves 173 workers at SWU mobil and another 60 at SWU Verkehr, a sister company. Verdi is demanding a 13 percent fare supplement, a 5 percent public-transit bonus, and a €10 per hour instructor subsidy for drivers. The union said that management’s offer in the fourth round of talks fell far short.
For the university-hospital employees, Verdi is demanding a 7.5 percent wage increase — at least €320 more per month. Apprentices and trainees should receive an extra €250 monthly plus a Deutschlandticket. The employers’ side, grouped under the AGU, did not present any counter-proposal during the first round of negotiations and, in a further provocation, announced the termination of an existing collective agreement protecting workers against rationalisation.
Employer representative Udo Kaisers called the demands “impossible to implement.” The University Hospital Tübingen estimates that meeting the claims would cost roughly €40 million extra each year. For context, the clinic expects a deficit of €10 million in 2026 alone. The next round of talks for the university hospitals is set for Wednesday 17 June.
Beyond the two main conflicts, Verdi is warning of job cuts at bus companies operated by the regional transport authority SWEG — particularly in Wiesloch, Weil am Rhein, and Offenburg. The threat stems from the re-tendering of line bundles. Around 200 bus drivers fear they will lose their collectively bargained protections. The union is pushing for a social-plan tariff agreement and a transitional collective contract. SWEG has promised “socially responsible solutions” and internal re-deployment options.
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