Shortly before the third round of collective bargaining in the public sector, Verdi boss Frank Werneke ruled out an agreement without a minimum amount for increases in income and emphasized the workers' willingness to go on strike.
"And there will be no deal without a sufficiently high minimum amount," said Werneke on Tuesday in front of numerous strikers at a rally in Cologne.
Cologne - The union will do everything possible to achieve a "good result" in the third round of negotiations for federal and local employees, which begins next Monday in Potsdam.
"But if it doesn't work: Spring is approaching and it may be that we will have to see each other again here, dear colleagues," explained the Verdi chairman to the strikers.
In an interview with the German Press Agency on the sidelines of the Cologne rally, Werneke pointed out that "there is a strike participation in the public service that has not been seen for decades and that there are high expectations of reaching a result that is actually accepted among the employees.”
"The most important issue in the negotiations is our demand for a minimum amount, which would be seen in particular by those employment groups who have been hit particularly hard by inflation, i.e. those who do not have such high incomes," emphasized Werneke.
He cited bus drivers and employees in waste management companies and many other areas of public service as examples.
“Public service is underpaid.
That's why a good 300,000 positions are vacant and there is a lack of applicants on every corner," he said.
Despite the massive impact of the warning strikes on many areas of public life, Werneke sees a lot of support for the trade union demands in the population.
"No one is happy when the bus doesn't come or when rubbish isn't cleared away for days," said the Verdi boss.
The union is aware that strikes in the public sector are also a burden for the population.
"However, the strikes would not work, then we would only beg collectively at the negotiating table and not really act with power," he emphasized.
Verdi gets a lot of encouragement from the population and opinion polls also show "that the significantly larger part of the population supports us."
In the nationwide collective bargaining dispute in the public service for federal and local employees, Verdi and the civil servants' association dbb are demanding 10.5 percent more income, but at least 500 euros more per month.
In the second round of negotiations, despite an offer from the employer, there was still no rapprochement between the parties to the collective bargaining agreement.
dpa
