Munich. Patients of clinics in Munich will have to cope with longer waiting times, as the doctors at the hospitals are on strike since the morning for an undetermined period of time.

The physicians want to enforce their point of view: a higher salary and better payment for on-call duties. A demonstration is planned for the afternoon in Munich. For the patients the strike means that non-emergency operations will be shifted but emergency treatment will be given. Labour unions will decide on friday if the strike will continue. Hamburg and Berlin already agreed on labour contracts and are not on strike.

Wage and salary negotiations collapsed at the start of april for 55,000 doctors in over 700 hospitals. In a strike vote, 93 percent of the members of the 'Marburger Bund' voted for the revolt. The union demands 5 percent more salary. The employers last offer was 2.9 percent more salary for 33 months as well as better payment for on-call duties.