A warning strike by medical assistants is intended to put pressure on employers in the ongoing collective bargaining strike. It remains unclear what to expect on Thursday – there is a lack of experience.
Because medical assistants have been called on a warning strike, work processes in doctor’s offices may be delayed on Thursday. For the first time in the association’s history, the 330,000 medical assistants nationwide in outpatient care are being asked to stop their work, said a spokeswoman for the Association of Medical Professionals (vmf).
In the ongoing collective bargaining, they want to increase the pressure on employers to achieve fundamental improvements in salaries. At the beginning of the week, more than 1,000 participants from all federal states had already registered for several parallel rallies planned for Thursday in Berlin, Dortmund, Hamburg, Marburg, Nuremberg and Stuttgart.
Because only a small proportion of employees are unionized and it is often difficult for employees in small companies such as doctors’ offices to enforce their right to strike, it is not possible to predict how large the participation will be, said the spokeswoman. In addition, there was a lack of experience.
Wherever medical assistants do not come to work, significant delays in processes and longer waiting times can be expected throughout the day. “Some treatments cannot be carried out at all,” said the spokeswoman. Some doctor’s offices should remain completely closed on Thursday out of solidarity.
The effects will be felt immediately
In addition to registration and appointment scheduling, the work areas also include assistance with examinations, treatments and surgical procedures. The medical assistants (MFA) are also responsible for documentation, hygiene measures, practice management and billing. “If MFA go on strike, the effects will be felt immediately. But this is the only way we can improve the working conditions for the professionals,” said vmf President Hannelore König, according to the statement. Patients are asked for their understanding.
Source: Stern
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