Doctors in the fight for working hours: Marburger Bund sues Unimedicine!

Doctors in the fight for working hours: Marburger Bund sues Unimedicine!

The current discussion about the acquisition of work in health policy brings new legal disputes to light. The Marburger Bund has sued the Unimedicine Greifswald because this is not committed to proper electronic recovery of working hours fulfills. This regulation, which has been valid for all university clinics in Germany since January 1, 2025, should ensure that the working hours of the doctors are documented transparently and comprehensibly.

According to the Marburg Confederation, however, many university clinics in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania do not adhere to this requirement. A survey shows that over 80 % of the 3,500 doctors surveyed do not use an automated cake clock for working time recording, and around 60 % report that up to ten working hours are not recorded weekly. This not only raises questions about the correct billing of overtime, but could also result in legal consequences for employers.

difficulties and demands

Unimedicine Rostock and Greifswald defend their practices and emphasize that they adhere to the requirements of the collective agreement. However, a court ruling from 2022 clearly made it clear that the entire working hours must be recorded. The current system for working time recording is criticized as ineffective and susceptible to manipulation. The Marburger BUND , on the other hand, not only calls for better work time recording, but also higher wages and generally better working conditions for the doctors.

The legal foundations are not only shown in the internal regulations of the clinics, but are also based on a judgment of the European Court of Justice in May 2019. This states that companies in the EU have to systematically, complete and objectively record. These requirements are particularly challenging for the healthcare system, where flexible working time models and shift work are often the order of the day, such as The AZH explains.

future developments

From 2026, the weekly working hours for doctors are to be reduced to university hospitals from 42 to 40 hours, and Unimedizin Rostock plans to introduce a personal card system for working time recording. It remains to be seen whether this is a step in the right direction. The demands for a specific clarification of the collective agreement interpretation by the Stralsund labor court are absolutely understandable. Inadequate recording can have significant financial consequences for both the employers and the employees - a fact that employers have to take increasingly seriously.

Finally, it can be said that the course for the future of working time recording in the healthcare system must be re -set. The parties involved are required to integrate transparent and legal systems that ensure the protection of employees and at the same time meet the legal requirements. In this sense, it is time to take the voices of the employees seriously and to fight for better working conditions.