Pak Sahafat – On the eve of the third round of negotiations on wages with employers, the German trade union has put other large strikes on the agenda for today and the coming days in various public sectors.
According to the report of the International group of Pak Sahafat news agency, quoting from the German magazine “Focus”, Warning strikes continue in the public sector in Germany. Also (Thursday) in many German cities, employees of various departments will stop working. Verdi’s union has announced the largest warning strike in northern Germany for Friday.
In this way, many public sector employees in Germany went on a one-day warning strike with the slogan “We are the gold of the city” today. The spokesman of the Verdi union said in Hamburg on Thursday morning: “The warning strike has started everywhere in Hamburg according to the plan.” On this basis, among others, hospitals, city cleaning and state opera have been affected by these strikes. Vessels that need to be steered will not be able to enter or leave the port from Wednesday due to the warning strike by the HPA Port Authority.
Many kindergartens in Hamburg are also closed. “We can only say later how many kindergartens will actually be on strike, and in any case, Elbkinder-Kitas is on strike,” said a spokesman for the Verdi union. The group had earlier sent a letter to parents on March 20, warning them of a one-day strike on Thursday. Management writes in this series that they must accept that their employees are upholding their interests by participating in union strikes. Accordingly, they try to keep the adverse effects as low as possible.
According to Verdi’s spokesman, other daycare providers such as the Ballin Foundation, the Hamburg School Association and the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund also want to take part in the strikes. In general, significant disruptions are expected, but parents are warned.
According to relevant union information, the strikers want to gather at 9:00 a.m. for a rally in the town hall square and then march through the city center to the union building in Bezenbinderhof. A final rally will be held there.
In the collective bargaining dispute in the public sector, employees of the municipal offices of Frankfurt (Oder) and Eisenhotenstein will also go on warning strike on Thursday. Parents of kindergarten children in this area should also be prepared for restrictions because according to the spokesperson of the relevant union in Eisenhowenstadt, the kindergartens must remain closed due to the warning strike. Striking employees from Eisenhowenstadt must come to a strike rally in front of the city hall in Frankfurt (Oder) (9.30 am). As announced on Wednesday, Verdi’s union expects several hundred participants.
On Monday, March 27, the third round of collective bargaining for the federal and local public sector begins in Potsdam, accompanied by a work stoppage in the state capital of Brandenburg. Verdi asked the employees of all offices, cemeteries, kindergartens and libraries to hold a warning strike all day on Monday. A protest rally will be held in front of the Negotiating Hotel in Potsdam.
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The continuation of widespread strikes in various German states
In Berlin, on March 23 and 24, many employees of public sector companies were called to leave their jobs. According to this union, municipal hospitals, water companies, city cleaning and the student union are among others affected by these strikes.
On the occasion of the conference of transport ministers in Aachen, the Verdi trade union started warning strikes in local public transport in the Aachen city area. The employees of the transport companies Aseag, Rurtalbus and Westverkehr have been called to close work all day on Thursday. Frank Michael Montclair, secretary of the Verdi union, said this morning that the measures had started as planned at 3am on Thursday.
Verdi’s spokesman explained that there is a shortage of specialist personnel to divert traffic. Accordingly, the shortage of existing skilled workers can only be compensated by “fair and good pay” in local transport.
The Verdi union has also called for a four-day strike from the employees of Hamburg’s cleaning department. The city of Hamburg’s sanitation department announced on Wednesday that recycling areas, many parts of the city’s sanitation and many parts of waste disposal are expected to be affected by the strikes from Thursday to Sunday.
However, it has been ensured that waste disposal in hospitals and care centers, as well as winter services and all traffic safety measures will not be affected by the strike. The city of Hamburg’s cleaning department announced that the collection of yellow bags and bins for recyclable materials was also not affected.
The port of Hamburg is also closed to large ships due to the warning strike of the Verdi union. The port authority HPA announced on Wednesday in its request: As of Wednesday morning, vessels under control will not be able to enter or leave Germany’s largest port. Verdi asked the employees of the port administration to start a warning strike from 5:30 PM to 6:00 AM on Wednesday.
With this warning strike, the workers want to give more weight to their demands before the next round of negotiations from March 27 to 29 in Potsdam. Unions want 10.5 percent more pay, but at least 500 euros more a month, for about 2.5 million employees in federal and local public services across the country. So far, the employer has offered five percent more money in two stages and a one-time payment of 2,500 euros. The unions immediately opposed this proposal and do not consider it consistent with the ever-increasing inflation.