The Verdi union has struck retail in several cities across the country. “There are likely to be around 10,000 employees on strike today,” the union told the dpa.
The current round of collective bargaining in retail has been going on for months. Even numerous warning strikes, for example right before Christmas, could not change the messy situation. The labor disputes resulted in empty shelves here and there, but as a rule there were no store closures.
Verdi is demanding, among other things, at least 2.50 euros more per hour in retail in all regions and a term of one year. Depending on the federal state, there are additional requirements. Top-level talks at the federal level have not brought any progress recently. Verdi accuses the employers of blocking the negotiations.
According to Verdi, they want to increase the pressure on employers with several weeks of action until Easter. “We want to specifically focus on the blockers in the employer camp,” the union announced on Thursday.