There are warning strikes again in the collective bargaining dispute in retail.
The work stoppages on Friday in North Rhine-Westphalia affected retail chains such as Primark, H&M, Zara and TK Maxx, said the Verdi union in Düsseldorf. It’s about locations in Bielefeld, Dortmund, Düren, Neuss, Münster, Wuppertal and other cities.
The union is dissatisfied that the employers have refused “any substantial movement,” as the negotiator for Verdi NRW, Henrike Eickholt, puts it. “That does not indicate a serious desire for a quick collective agreement.” The negotiations on NRW retail involve around 700,000 employees.
Verdi is demanding a wage increase of seven percent, which should be at least 225 euros per month. The term of the new collective agreement should only be 12 months.
The demands go too far for employers and they consider them unrealizable. The collective bargaining manager of the German Trade Association, Steven Haarke, pointed out that there had so far been no noticeable effects of the strike on customers at the retail companies on strike.
“It cannot be assumed that anything will change.” It is regrettable that the union is calling for strikes instead of constructively dealing with the employers’ offer at the negotiating table. “In the current difficult economic situation, less rioting and more will to reach agreement are needed.”