Verdi calls for major warning strike in the public sector
Shortly before the third round of negotiations in the public sector wage dispute, the trade union Verdi has called thousands of employees in Hamburg to go on a warning strike on Monday. Employees from universities, several child and youth welfare institutions, district offices, schools, the fire department, the city parliament, the court of auditors and job centers, among others, are to strike.
Thousands of them are to take to the streets on Monday to send a clear signal ahead of the third round of negotiations starting next Thursday in Potsdam, as Verdi announced on Friday. Verdi national chairman Frank Werneke is expected to be the guest speaker at the demonstration march from the Gewerkschaftshaus (10.30 a.m.), via the finance authority (11.45 a.m.) to Valentinskamp (12.00 p.m.).
Verdi is demanding 10.5 percent more income for employees in the public sector of the federal states, but at least 500 euros more per month. Junior staff should receive 200 euros more and trainees and dual students should be offered permanent contracts. Verdi also expects employees in Hamburg, Berlin and Bremen to receive a city-state bonus of 300 euros per month. The union is also demanding a nationwide collective agreement for student employees (TV Stud).
In the second round of negotiations, however, the Tarifgemeinschaft der Länder (TdL), chaired by Hamburg's Finance Senator Andreas Dressel (SPD), made it clear that it considers the demands to be far too high and unaffordable. The third round of negotiations will focus on 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.
"Anyone who works for Hamburg must be able to live in Hamburg," emphasized Hamburg's Verdi Vice President Ole Borgard. The employers would be well advised to fulfill their responsibility and present a negotiable offer. The employees expected the employers to seriously address their demands for fair and up-to-date pay.
Hamburg's Green Party Chairwoman Maryam Blumenthal is also in favor of a collective agreement for student employees. "As Hamburg Greens, we support the TVStud movement," explained the member of parliament, whose party is part of a parliamentary coalition with Dressel's SPD. Student employees should also be able to make a living from their work. With the minimum contract terms for student employees, the Bürgerschaft has already contributed to more educational equality and more quality in research. "A collective agreement for student employees is now an important next step."
The ongoing public sector wage dispute has led Verdi to propose tariffs for a significant increase in employee income, including a minimum of 500 euros per month and additional benefits for junior staff and trainees. However, the Tarifgemeinschaft der Länder (TdL) considers Verdi's demands too high and unaffordable, potentially leading to further trade union actions such as strikes, as shown by Verdi's call for a massive warning strike in Hamburg on Monday, involving various public sector services including schools, universities, and the fire department.
Source: www.dpa.com
