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Public service: Institute of the German economy predicts hard labor dispute

2023-02-10T07:26:57.167Z


A hot spring is ahead of the public service. Ver.di emphasized their demands with calls for strikes, and the employers reacted with outrage. It is not yet clear how far apart the positions are.


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Warning strike in Hamburg: dramaturgy of the unions

Photo: Marcus Brandt / dpa

The collective bargaining expert at the German Economic Institute (IW), Hagen Lesch, expects tough disputes in the public sector in the coming weeks.

"There may still be many warning strikes before the third round of negotiations, which is scheduled for March 27-29," Lesch told the "Rheinische Post" according to a preliminary report.

Ver.di usually strikes through the regions and always puts other professional groups in the foreground.

In addition to hourly or daily warning strikes, indefinite strikes are also conceivable.

“If the unions want to go on strike indefinitely, they first hold a ballot.

The last time this existed for the federal government and local authorities was in 2000.« Lesch also criticized the local authorities: »It was unwise to only start collective bargaining weeks after the collective agreement had expired.

By hesitating, the municipalities risk that the citizens will be affected by many strikes.«

The work stoppages have met with sharp criticism from federal and local public employers.

"I can't understand the strike calls at this point in time," said the negotiator and president of the Association of Municipal Employers' Associations (VKA) Karin Welge, the "Rheinische Post".

»It was agreed with the unions that we would like to reach a result in three rounds of negotiations.

We've just finished the first of the rounds.«

On Thursday there were major work stoppages in North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin.

Transport companies, city cleaning services, hospitals and day-care centers were on strike.

More activities are planned for Friday.

"The strike calls correspond only to the dramaturgy of the unions and also serve to recruit members," said Welge.

»An escalation – especially in such an early phase of the negotiations – is out of the question for me.«

Welge also again rejected the wage demands of the unions.

These were “clearly overshot the mark”.

Collectively agreed wages in the public sector have “increased faster than inflation in the last ten years”.

The employees would therefore still have “noticeable real wage gains, even if you take the entire year 2022 into account”.

A high collective bargaining agreement ultimately costs "citizens more money because it increases the costs of taxes and fees," warned the VKA President.

Ver.di and the German Association of Civil Servants are demanding a wage increase of 10.5 percent for a period of twelve months for 2.4 million federal and local employees because of the high inflation, but at least 500 euros more per month.

The employer side rejects this.

The first round of wage talks was adjourned in January without result;

the second round is scheduled for February 22nd and 23rd.

mike/Reuters

Source: spiegel

All business articles on 2023-02-10

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