German doctors stage one-day pay strike ahead of new round of talks

An all-day strike on Monday by doctors at municipal hospitals across Germany is intended to give impetus to upcoming wage negotiations.

The Marburger Bund, a major trade union that represents 60,000 doctors, is demanding an 8.5% pay rise over the next year, as well as reforms of regulations on shift work.

Thousands of doctors attended a rally in the western city of Frankfurt. Armed with whistles and signs, participants highlighted issues of staff shortages and excessive workloads.

The doctors carried signs, some of which read: "Everything has an end, only on-call duty has none" and "Doctors pushed to the limit = Patients in danger."

The union said that some 3,000 people attended the rally in Frankfurt.

According to the doctors' association, several thousand doctors took part in the nationwide strike. A spokesman said that exact figures were not initially available.

In the south-western state of Baden-Württemberg, roughly 10,000 doctors from 80 hospitals across the state were called on to strike, the trade union said.

Additional regional rallies were held in other states, with several hundred doctors participating, it added.

The union said doctors it represents are dissatisfied after two unsuccessful rounds of negotiations with employers. The talks are set to restart on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the VKA municipal employers' associations criticized the strike, calling it excessive, especially one day before the next round of negotiations.

The union said emergency care will be arranged with the hospitals affected for the duration of the strike.