Employees at Jena universities walk off the job
Several hundred employees at Jena's universities stopped work for a while on Friday. The trade union Verdi had expected 500 people to attend a rally on the Ernst Abbe Campus. "I'm pretty sure we've reached our goal. The place is full," said a spokeswoman during the event on Friday. Verdi had called on employees at Friedrich Schiller University, Ernst Abbe University and Studierendenwerk Thüringen in Jena to go on a three-hour warning strike.
The background to this is the collective bargaining in the public sector of the federal states. According to Verdi, the second round of negotiations on November 3 showed that the employers were not willing to meet the union's demands. They are demanding a salary increase of 10.5 percent, but at least 500 euros. In addition, there is a collective agreement for student employees and 200 euros more for trainees and junior staff.
According to Verdi, the action in Jena was the first warning strike in the current collective bargaining round. Friedrich Schiller University Jena had not anticipated any major impact on teaching operations. The union then announced all-day warning strikes for the coming week.
The strike action by Verdi at Jena's universities, involving hundreds of employees, was a response to the employers' unwillingness to meet their demands for a significant salary increase and improved conditions during the second round of negotiations. Trade unions across several universities in Jena, including Friedrich Schiller University, Ernst Abbe University, and Studierendenwerk Thüringen, participated in the strikes.
Source: www.dpa.com
