The Verdi union has increased the pressure on employers during the current collective bargaining round in retail with a warning strike.
More than 5,000 employees in retail, wholesale and foreign trade took part in the temporary work stoppages nationwide on Friday, a Verdi spokeswoman told the German Press Agency. More than 200 locations were on strike, including branches of Edeka, Rewe, Kaufland, Penny, Douglas, Zara, H&M, Metro and Ikea.
According to the union, customers sometimes had to expect delays at checkouts or when accepting empties. The consequences will also be felt in wholesale and foreign trade, although perhaps only with a delay. According to Verdi, strikes took place in Berlin-Brandenburg, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and Hamburg.
From the perspective of the German Trade Association (HDE), there were no noticeable effects for consumers. “As usual, purchases can be made anywhere,” said tariff manager Steven Haarke. There is currently no information available about possible store closures.
Verdi: “You are not the nation’s cheapies”
Strike rallies took place in several major cities. Several hundred people came together in Dortmund. The police spoke of 400 participants, while Verdi said around 1,000 participants.
“You are not the nation’s low-cost workers,” said Verdi federal board member Silke Zimmer to the employees in Dortmund, according to the speech manuscript. “Your work has value – and this value must also be reflected in your wallet.”
According to the union and police, 400 to 500 people were on site in Frankfurt. According to Verdi, around 600 took part in Hamburg and around 150 in Stuttgart.
Employers offer 3.5 percent in two steps
In April, negotiations for retail, wholesale and foreign trade began in the first districts of the state. In Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia, employers presented the first tariff offers for retail this week. The union rejected them. Zimmer spoke of “poisoned offers” that wouldn’t even compensate for inflation.
The employers are offering an increase of 2 percent from November and a further 1.5 percent from August 2027 – with a term of 24 months. Verdi is demanding 7 percent more wages and at least 225 euros gross and a term of twelve months. The HDE warned against unrealistic demands even before the negotiations began. Given the difficult economic conditions, there is “hardly any scope” for wage increases this time.
According to Verdi, around 5.2 million people work in retail in this country, 3.4 million of whom work in retail. The previous collective bargaining negotiations dragged on for more than a year. In the end, retail employees saw a total income increase of around 14 percent for the period 2023 to 2025. Collective bargaining coverage in the industry has been declining for years and is comparatively low.
Note d. Editor: This article was updated on May 15th at 3:15 p.m.
