NDR presenter Inka Schneider was surprised by a strike on Tuesday. NDR, WDR and SWR employees demand more salaries.

Inka Schneider, presenter of the NDR DAS! Photo: NDR

A strike by the Verdi union disrupted Tuesday night's NDR program. Instead of the current show “DAS!”, viewers were only able to watch the highlights of the previous episodes of Talk on the Red Sofa at 6:45 p.m.

The strike, which was announced with little notice, surprised moderator Inka Schneider: “When my guest and I arrived at the studio all dressed and groomed, there was no one on camera or in management,” she wrote on Instagram. According to that Abendblatt Burger Those responsible were only informed 15 minutes in advance.

Control, sound, graphics and lighting employees stopped working: in total, around a hundred employees. Verdi demands an increase in his salaries and fees retroactive to the beginning of the year of 10.5 percent, but at least 500 euros per month. The salaries of volunteers and apprentices will also be increased by 200 euros.

“Sign for quick negotiations”

NDR and Verdi have been negotiating for two and a half months. However, the station canceled a final scheduled date. “Apparently, the station wants to prolong collective bargaining,” the union stated. The action is a “small but visible sign of rapid negotiations.”

Christoph Schmitz-Dethlefsen of the Verdi federal council criticized the treatment of ARD officials towards their employees. He referred to “record inflation with very low tariff developments at the same time”: “Demands for increases are important to compensate for the loss of purchasing power in the meantime, so they must be agreed as quickly as possible.”

Verdi called for strikes at NRD, WDR and SWR on Tuesday.