Closure of the clinic kitchen: Struggle for existence for 130 employees in Kaiserslautern!

Closure of the clinic kitchen: Struggle for existence for 130 employees in Kaiserslautern!

A significant step is imminent: The Westpfalz-Klinikum in Kaiserslautern will close its central kitchen on May 1, 2026. This decision was made in autumn 2024 and is part of a comprehensive restructuring to get the facility's financial problems under control. That's what she reports Rhine Palatinate.

The kitchen closure is aimed at financially stabilizing the hospital's operations. However, those responsible must also keep an eye on the concerns of the approximately 130 affected employees. Many of them have been working in the central kitchen for decades and now see their existence threatened. The service union ver.di in particular is critical and criticizes the lack of investment in buildings and equipment over the years, which has resulted in the kitchen no longer being technically up to date. Frank Hutmacher from ver.di emphasizes: “The employees’ livelihoods are at risk.”

An important supply point

The Westpfalz Clinic's central kitchen currently serves around 6,000 meals a day - including around 1,000 for patients and employees. The closure not only calls into question the food provided to patients, but also the jobs of the kitchen staff. The closure is part of a future concept that is being implemented by the SWR is considered necessary to give clinical operations a new, sustainable basis.

But what will happen next? The clinic plans to search Europe-wide for a new food provider in late autumn. This is done in the hope that the new service provider can guarantee the quality of the meals. The spokesman for the Westpfalz Clinic made it clear that if the kitchen was renovated, money would be needed for new medical equipment - the priorities were clearly set.

A worried look into the future

However, uncertainty about employees' future employment remains a major issue. Internal retraining is given a chance, but the lack of clarity causes unrest among employees. The union also fears that without a permanent new provider, the quality of the meals could suffer significantly. It remains to be seen how the clinic and its employees will overcome this challenge.

Time is ticking and those responsible are faced with the task of keeping an eye on both operational processes and the well-being of employees. This renovation measure may seem painful at first, but the hope for a stable future of the Westpfalz-Klinikum is at stake.