As of: January 23, 2024, 12:00 p.m
By: Marco Blanco Ucles
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Anyone who goes on strike may still be able to hope for payment.
Here you can find out which requirements must be met.
Regardless of whether it is
Verdi
,
IG Metall
or the
GDL
– unions repeatedly choose strikes as a last resort when they no longer see an opportunity to reach a common denominator in collective bargaining with employers.
Although employers' employees have the right to stop working in certain circumstances, they do not have the right to continue to be paid by the employer.
Trade unions support members in the event of a strike
With around 1.9 million members,
Verdi is the second largest union in Germany after
IG Metall
- and spoke out against the closure of further Galeria Kaufhof branches at the beginning of 2024.
In the event of a strike, the union supports its members financially, emphasizes
Verdi
: “If things get tough and the employer stops paying wages, ver.di will help ensure that the strikers’ financial losses remain as small as possible.” The same of course also applies to others Trade unions, such as the
GDL
, which explains: “In order to prevent economic difficulties or even emergencies for members, the
GDL
pays strike pay.”
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The calculation of strike pay naturally varies depending on the union.
With
Verdi,
for example, several factors play a role.
The amount of the strike pay depends on the membership fee that was paid three months before the start of the strike - also called an “industrial dispute” by the unions.
In addition, the support is based on the striker's current income.
Verdi
summarizes it using a formula: “Member’s average contribution x hourly factor x 40 / contractual weekly working hours.”
Who pays in the event of a strike?
The unions clarify.
© Markus Matzel/IMAGO
If a person has been a member of Verdi
for more than twelve months before the start of the strike
, their strike pay rate will increase.
At Verdi,
parents also receive
an additional amount per strike day for each family member entitled to child benefit.
The support will be paid for the entire strike.
However, it is important for the union to emphasize that the financial resources do not necessarily replace normal wages: “Strike support is not a compensation replacement.
It only partially compensates for the loss of net income.
Under these conditions it is exempt from tax and social security contributions.”
Strike pay may not exceed normal wages
At the
GDL,
which is in an ongoing dispute with Deutsche Bahn
,
the strike pay - a pure net payment that does not have to be taxed - to the members is clearly regulated.
The
GDL
differentiates between the first and second strike.
During the first industrial dispute, members receive ten euros per hour and a maximum of 75 euros per calendar day.
During the second strike, the pay increases to 100 euros per day.
However, the
GDL
explains : “The amount of strike pay paid must not exceed the amount of the pay cut by the employer.”
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If the child is sick and not yet 12 years old, parents can take time off work
However, strikers do not have to worry about insurance as long as it is a legal strike, as the law firm
Buddenbrock&Partner
emphasizes: “In the event of a lawful industrial dispute, the insurance requirement and therefore membership remain in effect.
The insurance cover for the employee and their insured relatives remains intact during the strike.
The duration of the strike is not important.”