Daycare Center Strikes and Wage Dispute in Berlin
Families across Berlin may find it difficult to arrange childcare on Thursday due to a wage dispute and planned warning strikes. Employees in daycare centers, youth, health, and social services offices are set to walk off the job, following a call by unions Verdi and GEW. This move is a response to ongoing collective bargaining negotiations for public sector employees in federal states, which have stalled over wage demands.
Unions seek significant pay rises
The unions, Verdi and others, are pushing for a 10.5% pay increase for around 1.1 million salaried workers in the federal states' public sector. Additionally, they demand a monthly salary increment of at least 500 euros for a year, and a city-state bonus of 300 euros for certain metropolitan areas like Berlin, Hamburg, and Bremen. For trainees, the unions propose a raise of 200 euros.
Industrial action as pressure tactic
Negotiations have yet to yield a proposal from the Tarifgemeinschaft der Länder (TdL). In anticipation of a third round of talks in December, unions are using warning strikes to ramp up pressure across Germany. These strikes involve various public sector workers such as preschool educators and hospital staff.
The ongoing demands from the unions and lack of a proposed offer from TdL have resulted in several warning strikes and disruptions in public services, including daycare centers, hospitals, and education services across numerous federal states, and transport sectors in cities like Frankfurt, Essen, and Hamburg. In a potential escalation, union ver.di has threatened nationwide strikes if an agreement is not reached soon.
Note: The above information is informed by current developments in the wage dispute between trade unions and public sector employers in Germany. The unions' demands include an 8% pay increase, with a minimum monthly rise of 350 euros ($364), extra days off, overtime bonuses for part-time staff, and more funds for trainees. Employer negotiations have been ongoing, with Interior Minister Nancy Faeser advocating for compromise. However, the limited budgets of federal and local authorities have posed challenges in meeting the unions' demands. The ongoing negotiations and industrial actions have resulted in widespread disruptions to public services in various federal states and cities across Germany.
