Labor organizations - Ongoing negotiations for unionized retail workers in the MV sector.
Workers in the retail industry of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are aiming to reach a deal on wages for около 55,000 employees in the area. This comes 1.5 years after the talks initially fell apart. The negotiations will resume on Wednesday at 11:00 am in Güstrow, according to the service union Verdi. Ever since, workers have continuously expressed their demands through strike warnings.
The probability of reaching an agreement seems favorable. In May, wage rises were agreed upon for Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. This led to a retroactive raise in wages from October 2023 by 5.3% and another 4.7% in May 2024. In the third year of the tariff, wages will be increased by a flat rate of 40 euros, and by an additional 1.8% starting from May 2025. Furthermore, workers will be given a one-time inflation adjustment premium of 1,000 euros, and the yearly contribution for tariff-based pension provision will increase from 300 euros to 420 euros.
Verdi negotiator Bert Stach outlined the goal of the talks in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as "harmonizing the tariff standards in the north and taking the necessary steps to achieve this". The negotiations between the Trades Association started almost a year ago.
