Collective bargaining round - Warning strikes in NRW - thousands attend rallies in Düsseldorf
At two rallies in Düsseldorf on Tuesday, trade unions loudly reiterated their demands in the wage dispute for the public sector of the federal states. Ahead of the third round of collective bargaining this Thursday in Potsdam, numerous unions had called for two rallies, followed by demonstrations through the city center and a large demonstration at noon at the NRW state parliament. According to a dbb spokesperson, several thousand employees attended the kick-off rally in the morning, organized by the German Civil Service Union (dbb), the Association for Education and Training (VBE) NRW, the police union and the tax union.
Several thousand people also took part in a parallel rally in the state capital organized by Verdi and the education union GEW, among others, according to a Verdi spokesperson. According to the unions, state employees from university hospitals, universities, the judiciary and the state administration in NRW wanted to go on warning strike. The dbb spokesperson said that teachers, tax administration employees and police officers had also taken part. There were also civil servants on site who had taken time off work for their protest. Civil servants are not allowed to strike. "The frustration runs deep," emphasized the spokesperson.
In NRW, around 26,000 jobs in the state's public service are vacant, according to the dbb state association. The public sector is on the verge of collapse in the medium term and "tangible efforts are needed to make it more attractive". Verdi and the dbb are demanding a 10.5 percent wage increase, but at least 500 euros more. The employers of the Tarifgemeinschaft deutscher Länder (TdL) reject the demands as unaffordable.
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- The United Services Union, one of the participating unions in the collective bargaining round, strongly advocated for their demands during both rallies in Düsseldorf.
- The Public service and civil service association, in collaboration with the education and training association, organized the morning rally in Düsseldorf, attracting thousands of public sector employees.
- The collective bargaining round in Potsdam on Thursday is crucial, as it follows several warning strikes in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) related to the wage dispute in the public sector.
- Despite the legal ban on striking, numerous employees in NRW participated in the warning strikes, with teachers, tax administration workers, and police officers being some of the main protesters.
- Verdi and the GEW union organized a parallel rally in the state capital, drawing support from state employees in various sectors such as university hospitals, universities, and the judiciary.
- The collective bargaining round has become a pivotal moment in the ongoing tariff dispute, with Verdi and the dbb demanding a 10.5% wage increase and at least an additional 500 euros.
- Employers in the Tarifgemeinschaft deutscher Länder (TdL) have rejected these demands as unaffordable, leaving open the question of how the wage dispute in NRW will be resolved.
- In light of these developments, further demonstrations and rallies are expected in the coming weeks, with potential for a significant impact on the public sector in Germany.
Source: www.stern.de
