Hospitals Solothurn hospital CEO received up to 5,000 francs a month in bonuses
Following criticism of management salaries, the canton-owned Solothurner Spitäler AG (soH) must provide an external investigation report on compliance with personnel regulations by the end of September. In its response to questions from the cantonal council, the government also announced the amounts of extra fees.
02.07.2024, 15:21
SDA
With its decision on Tuesday, the cantonal government wants to clarify whether the cantonal provisions have been complied with by soH management, as the State Chancellery announced. There were uncertainties. The Board of Directors of soH is responsible for implementing and complying with the regulations.
In particular, exemptions, terminations, terminations by mutual agreement, severance payments and function allowances for members of management over the past five years are to be investigated.
The Government Council expects an assessment of these issues by an independent expert opinion, it said. On this basis, it will examine measures and decide on them where necessary. Kurt Fluri (FDP) is therefore particularly responsible. The former National Councillor and Mayor of Solothurn has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of soH since 2022.
Research by the "Solothurner Zeitung" revealed that soH CEO Martin Häusermann, who retired at the end of January, will continue to receive a high salary until his 65th birthday in November. In addition, he is said to have received various functional bonuses in recent years - on top of a salary of over 300,000 francs.
Vacation credit of 107 days
With the mandate to the soH Board of Directors, the government also responded to various requests from the Cantonal Council. On Tuesday, it responded to two urgent interpellations from the SVP and SP parliamentary groups.
As part of a "termination agreement", soH terminated Häusermann's employment relationship at the end of November 2024 and "released him from his work obligations", the government wrote. This took into account the six-month notice period and a remaining vacation balance of 107 days.
Most of the vacation days were from previous years and had been "discussed with Häusermann at the staff meetings". A reduction was not possible "due to the heavy workload". For example, the CEO was unable to take any vacations due to the construction and occupation of the new building in Solothurn and during the Covid pandemic.
Up to 5,000 francs monthly functional allowance
Häusermann's "maximum gross salary" amounted to CHF 320,000. Häusermann received between CHF 2,000 and 5,000 per month as a functional bonus for "additional demanding management functions" from 2014. The Board of Directors of soH was responsible for this. Häusermann also received additional payments for Board of Directors mandates.
The maximum salary of her successor Franziska Berger is CHF 375,000. In her case, functional bonuses were "never under discussion", writes the government. This salary corresponds to "the market conditions required today". Without a salary of this magnitude, "no manager can be found for the operational management function", the government council quoted from information provided by soH.
Insufficient communication on retirement
The government stated that it could "understand" the agreement concluded with the former CEO, but considered the communication on this to be inadequate.
When Berger was introduced as the new CEO in October 2023, it was communicated that Häusermann would be retiring at the end of January 2024. There was no mention of the employment contract, which would continue until November. The government will not comment on the legality of the payments until the report requested by soH is available in the fall.
