Berlin pushes to equalize wages for 2,200 Vivantes subsidiary workers by 2025
Berlin (dpa/bb) – The CDU and SPD parliamentary groups in Berlin's House of Representatives have called for the reintegration of Vivantes' subsidiary companies into the hospital group's parent corporation. CDU faction leader Dirk Stettner and SPD parliamentary group chair Raed Saleh announced the decision, which was reached during a joint retreat where faction leaders agreed on a corresponding motion.
The motion urges the Senate to carry out the "swiftest possible integration" of the subsidiaries and create the necessary conditions to do so. It further states that, "step by step—comparable to the Charité subsidiary CFM—the wage levels of public-sector employees should also be achieved for Vivantes' subsidiaries."
The motion emphasizes that both labor and management share responsibility for this process. "The Senate must outline the prerequisites required for reintegration, including a timeline and cost estimate."
Equal Pay for Equal Work
Saleh invoked the principle of "equal pay for equal work," stating, "We have agreed that we want to gradually reintegrate the subsidiaries into their parent companies." The SPD politician acknowledged potential legal hurdles but pointed to the Charité subsidiary CFM as a model for wage alignment. "That process took several years," he said. "I want to see it accelerated."
The CDU and SPD had already pledged during their coalition negotiations in spring 2023 to reintegrate the subsidiaries into the Vivantes and Charité parent corporations. Berlin's governing mayor and CDU state leader, Kai Wegner, reaffirmed this goal in March 2025, acknowledging the injustice while stressing the need to consider the state budget.
Around 2,200 employees work at Vivantes' subsidiaries in areas such as logistics, cleaning, and catering. In the current labor dispute, the Verdi union is demanding a collective bargaining agreement that fully applies the public-sector hospital wage standards (TVöD-K) to Vivantes staff. Negotiations have been ongoing since January.
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