University strike: Employees want 10.5 percent more
Employees at numerous universities in North Rhine-Westphalia went on a day-long warning strike for more money on Monday. In Bochum alone, around 300 people took part in a rally, as reported by a dpa photo reporter. The Verdi and GEW trade unions have announced that employees at 15 universities across North Rhine-Westphalia will be taking part in all-day warning strikes over the next few days, including Monday, in the wage dispute in the state public sector.
Joint rallies by trade unions and university organizations were planned in Bochum, Cologne, Bonn, Münster and Bielefeld under the slogan "An end to precarious science". The work stoppages were expected to have an impact on university administration and building management, for example. As civil servants, professors are not part of the collective bargaining dispute.
The wage dispute in the public sector of the federal states is about the salaries of around 1.1 million employees nationwide. Around 1.4 million civil servants, to whom the result is usually transferred, would also be affected. The unions are demanding a 10.5 percent wage increase, but at least 500 euros more for all employees covered by collective agreements. A third round of negotiations is planned for December 7.
Last week, Verdi called for warning strikes in the wage dispute in North Rhine-Westphalia, particularly for employees at university hospitals. Over the next few days, warning strikes with rallies are planned in Gelsenkirchen, Cologne, Wuppertal, Bielefeld, Münster, Dortmund and Duisburg, among others.
The trade unions Verdi and GEW are demanding a 10.5 percent wage increase or at least an additional 500 euros for all their members involved in collective agreements, as part of the ongoing wage dispute in the public sector. The strikes by university employees, backed by trade unions, have disrupted university administration and building management, affecting numerous universities in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Source: www.dpa.com
