Many Telekom employees push for greater compensation during salary disagreements.
Approximately 4,500 employees from Deutsche Telekom in eastern German states as well as Berlin are pushing for a substantial pay hike amidst ongoing wage disputes. They came together for a rally in Potsdam on Monday, coinciding with the fourth round of negotiations. The trade union Verdi also called for strikes in the customer service sector across Germany. A Telekom spokesperson addressed the potential consequences for customers, mentioning that field service appointments could be delayed or callers to the service hotline may experience longer wait times.
The standpoints of the two parties in the negotiations were still quite different as of Monday and Tuesday: Verdi is pushing for a 12% salary increase over a 12-month contract period.
In comparison, Telekom wants a 27-month collective agreement and is proposing a tax-free inflation adjustment bonus of 2,000 euros this year, along with a 4.2% salary increase for January 2025. Additionally, a 150 euro gross monthly raise is scheduled for October 2025, which Telekom claims would be equivalent to an increase of up to 4.2% based on pay groups. This impacts around 70,000 employees under tariff-related contracts.
The Telekom spokesperson expressed their positive stance on the company's offer prior to the start of the fourth round of negotiations. However, Verdi's representative, Pascal Röckert, responded by saying, "There needs to be considerable progress made in the crucial round of negotiations to avoid prolonged conflict."
The union reported around 13,000 workers engaging in nationwide strike actions last week, resulting in extended wait times in customer service, canceled technician appointments, and temporarily closed T-shops.Barry James
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Source: www.ntv.de
