Germany to face nationwide public sector strikes after pay talks fail
According to the Verdi trade union, the 'warning' strikes will happen throughout the country and will be held over the coming weeks. They will likely affect a range of public services, from waste disposal to nursery schools and public transport.
Up to this point, strike action has been targeted in different regions of Germany.
It follows two days of collective bargaining talks in Potsdam between employers and unions earlier this week. Verdi and the smaller dbb Civil Servants' Association have been trying to fight for better pay on behalf of around 2.5 million local and federal government workers.
The demands include an eight percent pay rise and extra vacation days.
But so far this has been rejected by government negotiators.
Due to the stalemate, Verdi boss Frank Werneke said industrial action would be extended.
"There are no concessions on the subject of pay rises, improvements to working conditions or relief," he said, adding that that the deadlock sent a "fatal signal to employees and citizens".
Volker Geyer, chief negotiator for the dbb civil servants' association said demonstrations were on the way.
"We will be organising warning strikes and protests throughout the country over the next three weeks," said Geyer. "There is obviously no other way to get the employers out of their blockade."
No further details on the planned action has been provided at this stage.
It comes amid a wave of industrial action across Germany during collective bargaining.
On Thursday, people in Berlin will see a 48-hour warning strike called by Verdi on public transport run by the state operator BVG. Most buses, the U-Bahn and the tram network come to a standstill.
Buses of Berlin's BVG transport company stand in a depot in Berlin during a previous strike. One of Germany's biggest unions, Verdi, called for a warning strike on Monday the 27th. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP)
What are the unions demanding?
In view of the higher cost of living, the employee side is demanding an eight percent increase in income, or at least €350 more per month for employees per month plus three additional days off.
There are also calls for at least €200 extra per month for trainees and higher bonuses for people doing particularly stressful jobs that involve shift work, such as in the healthcare sector.
The unions say the high cost of living and rising inflation justifies their demands.
However, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), who is leading the negotiations on the employer side, has previously said there is a "tense" financial situation at the federal and local government level.
But Faeser said she was "confident" that an agreement would be reached "in the third round of negotiations".
She said: "We want to find appropriate and fair solutions for the federal government and local authorities as well as for public sector employees."
The next round of talks is scheduled for March 14th-16th.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
7 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Galaxy Ventures Backs RISE Chain, $8M Raised to Launch Fastest Zone for Real-Time Apps on Ethereum
Sydney, Australia, June 9th, 2025, Chainwire With the support of Galaxy Ventures and previous investment from notable industry leaders like Vitalik Buterin, RISE sets out to solve the blockchain adoption challenge with its exponentially faster blockchain technology; offering real-time performance of as low as 5ms latency and a 100k TPS target, while maintaining a decentralization-first roadmap. RISE, a real-time blockchain scaling Ethereum with record throughput and ultra-low latency, announced a $4 million investment from Galaxy Ventures, bringing total funds raised to date to $8 million. This latest funding round will enable RISE to continue to push the boundaries of blockchain performance and develop the next generation of blockchain applications. Offering instant transaction speeds is a key pillar of bringing more assets, enterprises, and users onchain, but building a blockchain that provides this has been difficult to date. RISE, a new blockchain built on top of Ethereum, solves this with its breakthrough transaction architecture, powered by Shreds which enable record-breaking latency as low as 5-milliseconds. This is especially significant for advanced DeFi use cases such as orderbook strategies, options, high-frequency trading, and market making. RISE launched its public testnet earlier this month, which has already undergone significant battle testing, reaching over 2 billion transactions, including over 50,000 transactions processed in a single 1-second block. This enables developers to experiment and build onchain apps that operate with a new standard of performance, introduced as 'Infinite Speed': real-time performance, decentralized. By rethinking blockchain design from first principles, RISE addresses a fundamental tradeoff where low latency and high throughput previously required compromising decentralization. Competing blockchains often rely on centralized approaches, introducing censorship risk and single points of failure. RISE was built from day one to deliver unstoppable performance without sacrificing decentralization, enabling real-time transactions on widely accessible, standard hardware. RISE will also implement performance-compatible based sequencing to leverage Ethereum's vast network of validators and unlock synchronous composability between Ethereum and RISE. Key Differentiators of RISE: Shreds: Sub-blocktime transaction confirmations enabling as low as 5ms round-trip latency Scalable Throughput: Currently benchmarked at over 50,000 TPS, with plans to exceed 100,000 TPS Based Sequencing (Coming Soon): Unlocking a true extension of Ethereum and solving liquidity fragmentation for users Secured Shreds (Coming Soon): Preconfirmations economically secured by Ethereum Validators, significantly improving the security profile 'Performance is only meaningful if it lasts,' said Sam Battenally, co-founder and CEO of RISE. 'RISE was built to stay fast—forever. This investment from Galaxy Ventures underscores the need for infrastructure that doesn't just scale technically, but scales trustlessly. We're excited to accelerate toward mainnet and bring the next generation of crypto apps into reality.' RISE will use the funding to support product and app development in the lead-up to mainnet launch. Builders can explore the testnet now at 'RISE is the first project we've seen that addresses the scalability trilemma without material security tradeoffs,' said Neil Bhuta, Investor at Galaxy Ventures. 'It brings a level of speed, scalability, and decentralization that is essential to supporting a new generation of high-performance applications. We're proud to back a talented team that is pushing the boundaries of blockchain technology.' About RISE RISE is a next-generation Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain redefining performance with 'Infinite Speed'—delivering instant transaction confirmation at unprecedented scale, while upholding Ethereum's core principle of decentralization. Its architecture enables as low as 5ms latency and will support over 100,000 TPS, unlocking a radically improved experience for both developers and users. Seed investors include Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and AAVE founder Stani Kulechov. For more information, users can visit Contact Co-Founder and CEO Sam Battenally RISE Labs sam@
Local Germany
17-04-2025
- Local Germany
Waste piles up in North Rhine-Westphalia as refuse collectors go on strike
Strikes in the public sector may be over , but at Remondis - a private company that provides waste management services for a number of municipalities in western Germany - industrial actions continue. Workers at the Remondis branch in Essen were called to strike by the Verdi trade union since Monday. Yellow bins that have not been emptied in the city will remain full through Easter and into next week. "Subsequent emptying cannot take place due to the upcoming holidays," the waste management company announced, according to a report in Der Westen. Residents whose plastic and food container trash will have piled up considerably by next week are advised to put any extra waste in the standard transparent waste bags and leave them next to their bins to be picked up at the next scheduled collection. Which cities and towns are affected? Beyond Essen, Remondis also serves surrounding regions in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as parts of the Ruhr region and the Rhineland. Rubbish bins in Westphalia-Lippe have also been left uncollected this week, and in the district of Olpe. Wolfgang Wilmes from Olpe told WDR that his garbage has not been picked up for four weeks. He says he has no choice but to let the garbage pile up and hold his nose when passing by the bins. Disruptions are also reported in Münsterland, the district of Coesfeld, the city of Münster, and the district of Steinfurt. Advertisement In other regions, service disruptions are felt in paper recycling or organic waste collection services. In the Siegen-Wittgenstein district, paper collection is paused in Wilnsdorf. In Freudenberg and Kreuztal, the biowaste remains. In the Hochsauerland, all waste collection has been stopped in Schmallenberg. Some Remondis recycling centres are also closed. But as a precautionary measure, Remondis has reportedly collected waste from certain commercial businesses on Tuesday. READ ALSO: Why you'll have to take more care sorting your biowaste in Germany from May Why are Remondis workers striking? As part of ongoing collective bargaining negotiations, the Verdi trade union is demanding a nine percent salary raise, or at least €350 more in monthly salaries for employees as well as €200 more per year of training for trainees. These demands mirror those of many groups of public sector, transport and postal workers that also recently engaged in warning strikes led by Verdi. On Wednesday, hundreds of garbage workers rallied in Oberhausen. Remondis criticised the decision to strike in a statement, suggesting it comes "entirely at the expense of citizens and traders in the affected regions." Of course, some residents who have been left with piles of stinking garbage over the holiday weekend may also have a hard time finding sympathy for the cause. "I can understand the garbage men and women to a certain extent, but on the other hand for us as a family, it's totally stupid that the garbage is left lying around," a resident from Altenberge told WDR .
Local Germany
08-04-2025
- Local Germany
Have we seen the last of the major strikes in Germany this year?
Industrial disputes can be like buses: you might not see one for a very long time, and then several turn up at once. That's exactly what happened in Germany this year. Back in January, a number of collective agreements expired, so trade unions like Verdi had to simultaneously negotiate a set of new contracts in the public sector. In the postal service, on Berlin public transport, in regional media outlets and in the wider public sector, workers all faced uncertainty about their future pay and conditions. For residents, this meant uncertainty about whether the buses would run, whether Kitas would open, and whether rubbish would start piling up in the Hinterhof . Luckily, two major conflicts that had dragged on for months ended amicably this week: on Sunday, a deal was reached for 2.6 million workers in the public sector, and on Monday, for the 16,600 employees of Berlin transport operator BVG . Here's a look the latest deals and the prospect of future strikes in Germany. Public sector employees The biggest deal negotiated this year concerned millions of local and federal government employees. As well as those in administrative offices, this includes workers in daycare centres, care homes, hospitals, schools, leisure centres and on local public transport, as well as in services like waste and sewage disposal. After an intense battle lasting more than two months, civil servants' union DBB and services union Verdi struck a deal with the government based on the recommendations of an arbitration committee. Advertisement The deal included a 5.8 percent pay rise over two years and increased bonuses for shift work, as well as either an increased Christmas bonus or three extra days of holiday per year. READ ALSO: Five things to know about Germany's public sector pay deal With the new contract running for 27 months from January 2025, we can now look forward to around two full years of calm: the next set of negotiations won't begin until March 2027. That said, there are a few workers - including state-employed teachers - who aren't covered by the agreement. This group are due to negotiate their next set of wage increases in autumn. Public sector strikes in Hamburg on February 13th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Marcus Brandt Local transport in Berlin It took several rounds of negotiations and five sets of warning strikes, but Verdi scored a coup in its BVG negotiations. On Monday, the union and transport operator announced that they had reached a new pay deal, with BVG workers set to get an average of 15 percent more pay over two years. As well as €430 extra pay per month by June next year, the transport employees will also see a steep rise in bonus for shift work and their end-of-year bonus. By 2027, the two sides are also tasked with putting together proposals for a 35-hour working week. Advertisement With Berliners previously staring down the barrel of unlimited strikes, the deal is welcome news for commuters. The two-year term runs until December 31st, 2026, giving residents of the capital around 21 months of respite. READ ALSO: Berlin averts unlimited transport strikes as BVG cuts deal with union Deutsche Bahn Remember the Deutsche Bahn negotiations a few months back? No, us neither. That's probably because the rail operator reached a deal with union EVG within record time, and without a single warning strike. Back in February, the two sides struck an agreement for 6.5 percent more pay for some 192,000 rail workers employed by DB and its subsidiaries. Starting in April with a €200 one-off payment, employees are set to get a two-percent pay rise in June, followed by 2.5 percent the following year and a further 2 percent the year after. Rail passengers walk or wait at the main train station in Frankfurt am Main, Germany on March 12th, 2024, during a strike called by GDL train drivers' union. Photo: Kirill Kudrayavtsev / AFP This contract covers an unusually long time span of 33 months, meaning EVG won't be able to reopen negotiations until 2028. However, the train drivers' union GDL - known to be a far harder nut to crack - will be reopening talks on their collective agreement next year. A so-called peace obligation is in place until February 2026, meaning there's a guaranteed hiatus on strikes until then. After that, don't be surprised if you start to see the words " Warnstreik! " (warning strike) and " Zug fällt aus " (train cancelled) a lot more at train stations around Germany. READ ALSO: Deutsche Bahn pays out compensation to millions of rail passengers in Germany Postal service At the start of the year, Verdi was tasked with thrashing out a deal on behalf of around 170,000 postal and parcel delivery workers in Germany. Upping the pressure on DHL and Deutsche Post, the union called a series of warning strikes in January and February, leading to delays and disruption in mail delivery. READ ALSO: German postal service to cut 8,000 jobs At the start of March, however, the two sides announced that they had reached a deal for a five percent pay increase for workers and an extra day of holiday per year. This agreement runs until 2027, when a new set of negotiations - and possible strikes - will begin. Advertisement What conflicts are still ongoing? While most of the major industrial disputes appear to be out of the way for now, there is one ongoing battle that could affect life in Germany. Metalworkers' union IG Metall - the largest in Germany - is currently fighting on behalf of workers in the automotive industry. As part of its push a 6.5 percent pay rise, the union has called strikes at car dealerships and garages this week. From Tuesday through Thursday, it may be hard for motorists to find a spot for maintenance or repairs of their vehicle. Though the IG Metall dispute seems relatively small next to the BVG and public sector talks, it could well turn into a bitter conflict. Car owners could well be advised to sort out their maintenance check-ups quickly when garages reopen, because the next strike could come around sooner than you think.
