The article announces the candidacy of the “Socialist Equality Party (Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, SGP)” and its supporters in the upcoming staff council elections at Charité University Hospital in Berlin. The SGP argues that the existing Public Service workers trade union (Verdi) is failing to adequately represent the interests of hospital staff and is stifling genuine resistance to management policies.
The core grievances highlighted include immense workloads, staff shortages, and increasing pressure on healthcare workers, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The SGP criticizes Verdi for collaborating with hospital management and the government, ultimately prioritizing cost-cutting measures over the well-being of employees and patients. They accuse Verdi of suppressing strikes and accepting agreements that worsen working conditions.
The SGP proposes building an independent rank-and-file movement to defend workers’ rights and improve patient care. Their platform includes demands for a 30-hour work week with full pay, increased staffing levels, and an end to privatization and profit-driven healthcare. They also advocate for international solidarity among healthcare workers. The SGP views the staff council elections as an opportunity to challenge the dominance of Verdi and build a stronger, more militant movement that prioritizes the needs of workers over the interests of management and the established trade union bureaucracy. Their campaign aims to mobilize workers to fight for better conditions and defend public healthcare.
find the original article here: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/05/17/e541-m17.html