Verdi announces warning strike in Berlin and Brandenburg retail trade
Sunday, June 23, 5:17 p.m.: The Verdi union has called warning strikes in Berlin and Brandenburg this Monday in the framework of the collective dispute in the retail trade. This affects the branches of Rewe and Edeka, which do not have their own name and are not privatized, as well as Ikea, H&M, Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof and Kaufland, Verdi's negotiator in Berlin-Brandenburg, Conny Weissbach, told the Agency. German Press on Sunday.
With the warning strike, the union wants to put pressure on employers before the next round of negotiations on Wednesday. Since collective agreements already exist in several countries, Verdi also hopes for constructive collective negotiations in Berlin and Brandenburg.
According to its own statements, the union demands an increase in wages and a reduction in the deadline, since in Berlin and Brandenburg it has been delayed by three months. As part of the warning strike, a rally and demonstration is planned for Monday (starting at 11:15 a.m.) in Berlin. Negotiations for wholesale trade also continue. Verdi had already drawn attention to his demands in recent months with warning strikes in retail and wholesale trade. However, no branch closures were expected.
IG Metall Mitte wants 7 percent more money
13:16: In the upcoming collective negotiations for the metal and electrical industry, the IG Metall district of Mitte spoke in favor of demanding 7 percent more money. The collective agreement must have a duration of 12 months. Training compensation should increase disproportionately, by 170 euros per year of training. This was decided by the Mitte district on Friday. The demand for the approximately 400,000 employees of the metal and electrical industry in Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Thuringia corresponds to the recommendation of the union's board of directors, which wants to make a final decision after discussions in the regional bargaining committees collective in July. 9no.
“IG Metall did not make a demand carelessly, but rather carefully analyzed the economic situation of the companies and employees,” said Jörg Köhlinger, district manager and negotiator at IG Metall Mitte. The demand for tariffs was preceded by intense debates in companies. The result is clear: employees need more money to offset rising costs and increase their purchasing power.
Ralph Wangemann, negotiator of the Hessenmetall employers' association, criticized: “IG Metall ignores the average situation of Hesse companies, despite understanding the concerns of employees, it is incomprehensible” that IG Metall Mitte has one of the highest salary demands “in the midst of the recent recession, although he himself warns about deindustrialization.”
In comparison, Germany does not have as many strikes as other countries.
Friday, June 21, 10:20 a.m.: The year 2023 was strongly marked by labor conflicts in Germany, but in international comparison, the Federal Republic remains in the middle field. This is clear from a report published on Thursday by the Institute of Economic and Social Sciences (WSI) of the Hans Böckler trade union foundation. In other countries, the magnitude of strikes is greater: the number of work days lost per 1,000 employees has been significantly higher on average over the past 10 years. Belgium has 103 days lost per year, France 92 (only in the private sector), Finland 90 and Canada 83. In Germany it is only 18 days.
However, the willingness to strike in this country in 2023 was comparatively high. The WSI recorded 312 labor disputes and more than 850,000 strikers. The number of lost working days amounted to a total of 1.5 million, double that of 2022 (674). It is also the highest number since 2015, when strikes totaled around 2 million working days. According to the authors of the study, the reason for so many strikes is high inflation and the resulting real wage losses for employees.
WSI scientific director Bettina Kohlrausch sees the large turnout in the strike as a good sign. The commitment promotes the confidence of “being able to positively influence one's own living and working conditions and, last but not least, strengthens democracy in Germany.” 2024 is expected to be another year of intense labor conflicts. According to researchers, Germany's international lag is due to the relatively restrictive right to strike. More widespread strikes are possible in many countries.
The balance of WSI industrial shares is an estimate based on union information and media reports. Therefore, not all unions register warning strikes; Strikes outside collective agreements are only registered in exceptional cases.
Short-lived warning strike at Radio Bremen
20:20: The warning strikes led to brief changes to Radio Bremen's program on Tuesday. There were some format changes and glitches in the radio and online offering, the public broadcaster confirmed on request. According to the Verdi union, around 150 employees of Radio Bremen and its subsidiary Bremedia stopped working at midday.
Moderation failures occurred on the Bremen One and Bremen Four radio waves, according to the station. Until 10:00 mainly music and traffic news were played, and between 6:00 and 8:30 the radio news was cancelled. According to the union, the online offer and sports information were also on strike.
As at Radio Bremen, collective bargaining is also taking place at other ARD stations such as SWR, BR, NDR and WDR. Houses face the challenge that the financial situation from next year will not be clear. It has not yet been decided whether broadcasting rights will increase.
Verdi, the German Association of Journalists (DJV) and the Association of Radio, Film and Television Workers (VRFF) had called a warning strike. The reason was a meeting of directors in Saarbrücken. The unions are demanding a 10.5 percent increase in salaries and fees. Collective bargaining at Radio Bremen will continue on June 25.
A spokeswoman for the station stressed that Radio Bremen is committed to negotiations. “We do not consider that the unannounced strike is conducive to negotiations. “Our audience, for whom we try to continue broadcasting at the highest quality possible during strike conditions, is suffering.”
Another strike on the City-Bahn on Wednesday
Tuesday, June 18, 09:10 a.m.: The wave of strikes at the City-Bahn Chemnitz has no end in sight. The company is preparing for a new strike on Wednesday, the sixteenth in a row, as a spokesperson announced on Monday. The machinists' union announced the strike to management over the weekend, but did not give an exact date. The duration is also not clear at the moment. With the strike, the union is pushing for the introduction of the 35-hour week. Until now, the municipal railway company has opposed this. It serves several lines in the Chemnitz area.
You can read more information about warning attacks on the following pages.