PNN – Germany’s Verdi union has warned of extending public service strikes into the Christmas period ahead of the next round of wage talks with employers.
According to the International group of Pakistan News Network, citing the German “Focus” magazine, in the state of Bavaria, state public sector employees were called to participate in a warning strike on Monday. Now the German trade union has also announced that it wants to disrupt the Christmas trade by extending the strikes.
Ahead of the possible end of collective bargaining for federal state public services, the German Economic Institute (IW Cologne) has warned about the possible consequences of the conclusion of these negotiations. After two rounds of negotiations and weeks of warning strikes, employers and employees will meet in Potsdam for a possible final round of the collective bargaining dispute, the outcome of which will be decisive.
According to IW, unions now plan to specifically support those on lower incomes who suffer more from inflation.
After the third round of negotiations on the collective bargaining dispute in the state public sector, the Verdi union called on all employees participating in the collective bargaining in Bayern to strike. Academic hospitals, universities, government theaters, tax offices, road maintenance departments and other sectors have been affected. More than 10,000 protesters are expected to attend the two rallies in Munich and Erlangen.
In a collective bargaining dispute for 1.1 million civil servants across the country, Verdi’s union wants a 10.5 percent pay rise, but at least 500 euros more per month. The third round of negotiations will begin on December 7 in Potsdam. The Civil Service Association has already called for the approval of a collective agreement for 1.4 civil servants. The Association for Collective Bargaining of the States (TdL), chaired by Andreas Dressel of the Social Democratic Party, considers these demands too high and intolerable.
Recently, extensive strikes were held in the public service sector in various German cities.
Not long ago, the German Verdi union announced mass strikes in the public service sector due to the failure of negotiations with employers to raise wages, which could create unpleasant conditions even at Christmas.