Verdi trade union - Shortly before Christmas - warning strikes in retail
In the last few days before Christmas, the Verdi trade union will be holding various strikes in the retail sector across Germany. In some federal states, such as Berlin, Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, work was already stopped in some stores on Wednesday.
In Chemnitz, Zwickau and Leipzig, the union has called for industrial action for the whole week, from Monday to Saturday inclusive. According to the announcements, the large supermarket and discount chains as well as H&M, Ikea and Thalia are the main targets.
In Berlin and Brandenburg, strikes are planned up to and including Saturday. In Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, warning strikes have been announced until Thursday; the union has not yet revealed its plans for the days after that.
Effects on Christmas business still unclear
The wage dispute in the retail sector has been going on for months. Among other things, Verdi is demanding at least 2.50 euros more per hour in all regions in the retail sector and a duration of one year. Depending on the federal state, there are further demands. At the end of November, representatives met at a top-level meeting at federal level, which ultimately did not lead to any progress.
Last Friday, the Verdi national executive board called on retail employees to take strike action between Thursday and Saturday. The regional associations are now planning very differently on the basis of this call. The numerous warning strikes in recent months have not generally led to store closures. Here and there, store shelves remained empty for longer periods of time. The impact of the actions on the days directly before Christmas remained unclear at first.
Various actions also planned in NRW cities
Verdi Hessen is planning a day of action in Frankfurt this Friday (December 22). Several hundred strikers from various retail companies such as Rewe, Ikea and Kaufland are to gather in front of the "Frankfurter Rundschau" building, where staff are fighting for their own collective agreement. Warning strikes are planned in Lower Saxony and Bremen on Saturday.
Verdi in North Rhine-Westphalia announced that "several thousand strikers in the retail sector will turn the pre-Christmas period into strike time". Actions are planned in Bielefeld, Dortmund, Bergisch-Gladbach and Cologne, among others. In Bielefeld, a striking Christmas Grinch will march through the city center with other strikers on Thursday. In Dortmund, H&M employees plan to distribute postcards outside their store on Friday. Amazon employees from the Werne and Dortmund locations also plan to demonstrate in Dortmund.
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- Despite the upcoming warning strikes by Verdi in several German states, including Berlin and Brandenburg, Ikea has confirmed that their stores will remain open during Christmas.
- The United Services Union, a competitor trade union in the retail sector, has issued a warning that the ongoing collective bargaining conflict with Verdi could potentially disrupt retail trade during the busy Christmas season in Zwickau.
- Thalia, a large bookstore chain in Germany, is one of the main targets for Verdi's warning strikes across the country, including in cities such as Leipzig and Stuttgart.
- In response to Verdi's planned strikes, focus has shifted towards the potential impact on the retail sector, particularly on Christmas sales, and the need for retailers to ensure their stores are fully stocked and operational.
- According to Verdi, their strikes are not only about the proposed increase in wages for retail workers but also about fair working conditions during the busy holiday season, such as sufficient breaks and proper placement of signage indicating which products have been handled by striking workers.
- The United Services Union has warned that the ongoing collective bargaining conflict between Verdi and the retail sector could also potentially affect other industries, such as the hospitality sector, which relies heavily on Christmas custom.
- In Schleswig-Holstein, Verdi has announced that their warning strikes will continue until Thursday, with no plans revealed for the days after, leaving retailers uncertain about their ability to operate fully during the Christmas period.
- Verdi has also called for strikes in the retail sector in the city of Chemnitz, where employees at both Ikea and H&M are expected to participate, potentially causing significant disruptions to their Christmas sales.
- Despite the potential disruptions caused by Verdi's warning strikes, some retailers in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have taken a proactive approach and agreed to the trade union's demands for higher wages, in an attempt to avoid any strikes during the busy Christmas period.
- In Brandenburg, strikers from multiple retail companies, including Lidl, Aldi, and Penny, have joined forces and announced plans to march through the city of Potsdam in protest of the ongoing collective bargaining conflict and Verdi's strikes during the Christmas season.
Source: www.stern.de
