Verdi attacks employers
Strike in retail causes queues at checkouts
November 10, 2023, 9:52 a.m
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The Verdi union wants to negotiate retail tariffs at the federal state level. The employers don’t like that, they demand a top-level discussion. The employees react by stopping work.
In the collective bargaining dispute in the trade, the Verdi union has again called for a nationwide, decentralized warning strike this Friday. The union said actions are planned in both retail and wholesale. This means that it will probably take longer for consumers to get to the checkouts again. There were repeated gaps in supermarket shelves due to previous strikes. Customers also have to be prepared for this these days.
With the strike call, Verdi is also responding to the demands of the German trade association for a top-level meeting between the social partners at the federal level in order to advance negotiations that have been stuck for months. “The aim of the meeting is to reach an agreement on a new, effective negotiation format,” said the association. Until then, the trade associations would no longer see any point in further rounds of negotiations at the state level.
Trade negotiations actually take place at country level in all 16 countries – separately for wholesale and retail. The employers initially rejected this format with their proposal for a top-level discussion. “Anyone who cancels negotiations provokes strikes in the Christmas business,” said Verdi representative Silke Zimmerer. “The cancellation of all negotiation dates in retail is a declaration of war on the employees and their voluntary collective bargaining committees.”
The negotiations in the federal states affect millions of employees. 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.