Trade unions: Further warning strikes in the public sector
In the wage dispute in the public sector of the federal states, the Verdi trade union in Hamburg intends to continue its warning strikes at the building yards in the Hanseatic city. The employees there have been called to stop work on Tuesday, as Verdi announced on Monday. Verdi had already started a wave of warning strikes lasting several days in Hamburg at the beginning of the week. On Monday, employees from the basic security and social services departments in Bergedorf were called out. Information on the number of participants was not available.
Verdi had announced last week that it would be striking in "one area of public services and one area of technical infrastructure" until Thursday. On Wednesday, the focus will be on the Hamburg Nord district, on Thursday on Wandsbek. The Komba trade union also called on its members to go on warning strike on Tuesday.
Verdi is demanding 10.5 percent more income for public sector employees in the federal states, but at least 500 euros more per month. Junior staff are to receive 200 euros more and trainees are to be taken on for an indefinite period. The union is also demanding a monthly city-state bonus of 300 euros. The Tarifgemeinschaft deutscher Länder (TdL) with its chief negotiator, Hamburg's Finance Senator Andreas Dressel (SPD), had made it clear in the second round of negotiations that it considered the demands to be far too high and unaffordable.
A breakthrough could be achieved in the third round of negotiations starting on December 7. The negotiations concern the salaries of around 1.1 million employees. Around 1.4 million civil servants are also affected, to whom the result is usually transferred. In Hamburg, including trainees, around 46,000 employees and indirectly 42,000 civil servants are affected.
The escalating wage dispute in the public sector has led Trade unions, such as Verdi and Komba, to organize multiple rounds of strikes, including strikes at building yards in Hamburg and basic security and social services departments in Bergedorf. These strikes aim to put pressure on employers to reduce tariffs and increase salaries for public service workers, with Verdi demanding a 10.5% income increase and at least 500 euros more per month. If agreements are not reached, these strikes could potentially disrupt various public services.
Source: www.dpa.com
