26 September 2023

GERMANY: Unions prepare for pay showdown

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One of Germany’s largest unions representing Public Servants has put further pressure on the Government, saying industrial action could begin within days over stalled wage demands.

The union, Verdi, said employers in the Public Service sector had “walled themselves in” during wage negotiations.

Chair of Verdi, Frank Werneke (pictured) said strikes were “unavoidable” after employers failed to make an acceptable offer in the latest round of pay bargaining.

He said the two sides were still far apart on core issues and that employers were obviously not aware of how serious the situation was.

The strikes could affect hospitals, banks and other public institutions such as nurseries.

Verdi and the German Civil Service Federation (DBB), which together represent virtually all public sector workers, are calling for a 4.8 per cent pay increase with a minimum monthly raise of €150 ($A246).

The unions are also calling for working hours in Germany’s eastern States, which were part of former communist East Germany from 1949 to 1990, to be shortened by an hour in line with those in the west.

However, negotiator for the Public Service Employers’ Association, Ulrich Mädge said the COVID-19 situation made it impossible for many municipalities to meet these demands.

“We provide secure jobs, protection against unlawful dismissal; that is surely worth a lot at this time,” Mr Mädge said, adding that municipalities were interested in guaranteeing wage rises in the medium term as their financial situation allowed.

He said industrial action by unions was “a ritual that I do not understand at all and that that the citizens do not understand either”.

More rounds of talks are scheduled for 22 and 23 October.

Berlin, 22 September 2020

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