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."
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- The United Services Union, affiliated with Verdi, is supporting the public sector employees in Hamburg, joining the proposed warning strike.
- During the Warning strike, Frank Werneke, the national chairman of Verdi, is expected to address the protesters in Hamburg, advocating for better wages and working conditions.
- Despite the upcoming Warning strike, the third round of negotiations between Verdi and the Tarifgemeinschaft der Länder (TdL) is scheduled to begin next Thursday in Potsdam.
- The Hamburg Finance Senator Andreas Dressel, chair of TdL and a member of the SPD, remains skeptical about Verdi's demands, considering them excessive and unaffordable for public services.
- Verdi is not only calling for wage increases in the federal states but also seeks additional payments, such as a city-state bonus of 300 euros per month for employees in Hamburg, Berlin, and Bremen.
- Trade unions across Germany are closely following the wage dispute as a potential catalyst for push for better wages and working conditions within the public sector, such as in the Frankfurt Fire Department.
- German children, indirectly affected by the public sector wage dispute, are also being considered as potential beneficiaries of a collective agreement, such as the TV Stud campaign for student employees.
- Despite the ongoing wage dispute and impending Warning strike, public services in Hamburg continue to function, as essential workers maintain their duties, ensuring that critical services remain available for the public.
Source: www.stern.de
