Pay disagreement - Verdi plans to carry on with warning strikes at daycare centers next week.
Verdi union is set to continue with its strike next week for improved working conditions in nearly 280 municipal kindergartens (Kitas). The union has asked for a new work stoppage in these kindergartens, where over 7000 teachers and staff serve around 35,000 children on Thursday, 20th of June. A protest march is also scheduled outside the Parliament.
For the past and this week, the facilities of the communal self-owned enterprises, which comprise about ten percent of all Berlin kindergartens, have been on strike for four days. Verdi's estimation reveals that about 3000 employees participated in the strike. Numerous kindergartens were closed down completely. Parents are compelled to seek alternate options, even for Thursday.
Verdi, just like the union GEW, are seeking a collective agreement that safeguards pedagogical excellence in the often understaffed kindergartens, and offers relief. Policies pertaining to group size, alleviating pressures, and improved training are to be set in place. However, the Berlin Senate claims that Berlin is a member of the Tariff Community of German States (TdL) and has no power to act independently.
The Education Administration states that there are around 2900 kindergartens in Berlin, several of which are managed by non-profit institutions. These institutions care for approximately 165,000 children.
Previous strike call: June 6Current strike call: June 20
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- Despite the ongoing wage dispute with the United Services Union, Verdi is preparing for a warning strike next week in Berlin's kindergartens (Kitas), aiming to improve the working conditions of over 7000 teachers and staff serving around 35,000 children.
- The warning strike, similar to the one held earlier on June 6, will continue for another week, affecting numerous kindergartens, which are a crucial part of the city's 2900 Kindergarten facilities, some of which are managed by non-profit institutions catering to approximately 165,000 children.
- The strike has prompted parents to seek alternative care for their children, as many kindergartens have been forced to close due to the work stoppage, which has been ongoing for four days at the communal self-owned enterprises that make up about 10% of all Berlin kindergartens.
- Although the union's demands, including safeguarding pedagogical excellence, setting group size policies, alleviating pressures, and improving training, seem reasonable, the Berlin Senate, a member of the Tariff Community of German States (TdL), argues that it has no power to act independently.
- In light of the Kindergarten situation, trade unions, like Verdi and GEW, are strategizing to move forward and ensure the best interests of the children and their educators, as strikes continue to pose challenges to the educational infrastructure of the city.
