Better working conditions and more skilled workers: New relief agreement regulates minimum staffing levels and workload compensation.
Last year, employees of Hannover Medical School (MHH) – together with the Verdi trade union – fought for extensive relief measures and consequences for various stressful situations. The regulations laid down in the relief agreement (E-VE) are intended to provide lasting relief for employees working in healthcare at MHH.
‘We regard the agreement between MHH and Verdi as a sign of appreciation and as another important building block in positioning MHH as an attractive employer,’ explains Martina Saurin, MHH Vice President for Business Management and Administration. ‘The workload in certain areas seemed to have become unbearable. Service restrictions may now become necessary, and in any case – even if we find additional staff – the financial impact will continue to drive MHH's results into a high deficit. Nevertheless, I am confident that the promise of relief will make us more attractive as an employer.’
‘We have already been able to attract numerous new employees to MHH in recent months,’ reports Prof. Dr. Frank Lammert, MHH Vice President responsible for patient care. ‘We currently have more people working in our nursing and medical-technical services than ever before. Nevertheless, we are constantly in need of new skilled workers! We are therefore working with our employees to draw up the relief agreement in order to achieve our goal of permanently improving working conditions for employees in nursing, therapeutic professions and training.’
► Click here for the career page
In force since April
The E-VE was concluded as a contractual agreement between MHH and Verdi, in addition to the existing collective agreement for the federal states. It came into force on 1 April 2025. The agreement regulates minimum staffing levels and workload compensation for work in wards, diagnostic areas and special outpatient clinics. In addition, the E-VE defines certain stressful situations that are to be compensated by time credits. These include, for example, short-term changes to the duty roster or deployment in an area other than the one in which the employees are trained.
Text: Inka Burow