On the occasion of collective bargaining in retail, employees temporarily stopped work for the second day in a row. The Verdi union was expecting a total of more than 10,000 participants at rallies in German cities, as union secretary Johanna Kaufmann told the German Press Agency.
According to Kaufmann, the largest rallies are planned in Erfurt, Bochum and Saarbrücken. Activities have also been announced in Berlin and Ingolstadt.
Negotiations are currently underway nationwide in retail, wholesale and foreign trade. According to Verdi, these affect five million employees. The conversations are held in the tariff areas. Verdi is demanding a wage increase of seven percent over a period of twelve months; in some cases the demands differ slightly in the different areas.
Warning strikes on Thursday
Verdi had already called for warning strikes on Thursday, including demonstrations in Kiel. According to the German Trade Association, the warning strikes had no noticeable impact on customers. “It cannot be assumed that anything will change today either,” said collective bargaining manager Steven Haarke of the German Press Agency.
The employers have already submitted almost identical offers, which Verdi has sharply rejected. In Hamburg, retailers are offering a total of 3.5 percent more pay in two stages over two years. In wholesale and foreign trade, employers in North Rhine-Westphalia are offering 3.4 percent more money in two steps over two years.
When negotiations will continue may vary from tariff area to tariff area.