Verdi calls for warning strikes at university hospitals in NRW
The Verdi trade union has called on the employees of several university hospitals in North Rhine-Westphalia to go on warning strikes in the public sector wage dispute. The first strike will take place this Tuesday (7.11.) for staff at Düsseldorf University Hospital, as Verdi announced on Monday. Strikes are to take place at the university hospitals in Cologne on Wednesday and at the university hospitals in Bonn, Münster and Essen on Thursday.
Warning strikes are also planned at the University of Duisburg-Essen in the coming days, it added. The union also announced "actions" in the administrations of Straßen.NRW and IT.NRW and at the universities. Verdi wants to increase the pressure on the employers with the warning strikes after they failed to present an offer in the second round of negotiations last Friday.
Düsseldorf University Hospital explained that an emergency service agreement had been concluded with the union. "Should there be any postponements of scheduled treatments due to the strikes, our patients will be informed by the treatment team," it said on the university hospital's website.
The wage dispute concerns 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. A third round of negotiations is planned for December 7.
In response to the lack of an offer during the second round of negotiations, Verdi has also announced actions in the administrations of Straßen.NRW and IT.NRW, and at various universities, including the University of Duisburg-Essen, indicating a widening scope of their strike actions. Moreover, tariffs could potentially impact federal states beyond North Rhine-Westphalia, as public service employees nationwide are involved in this wage dispute.
Source: www.dpa.com
