Latest news with #NorthRhine-Westphalian
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Workers strike at German breweries
Employees are walking out at several breweries in Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia region this week in a spat over wages. Workers took part in a "warning strike" yesterday (26 May) at Krombacher's brewery in Kreuztal. Around 150 Krombacher employees downed their tools for a two-hour period, Isabell Mura, deputy regional chairwoman of the North Rhine-Westphalia branch of the Food, Beverages and Catering Union (NGG), told Just Drinks. A "warning strike" acts as a "warning signal" to employers, Mura said. Demonstrations are also taking place today (27 May) at the Veltins brewery in Meschede, Hochsauerland, at the Dortmunder Actien Brauerei (DAB) in Dortmund, and Diebels brewery in Issum. "A lot of trouble has been brewing in North Rhine-Westphalia's breweries – especially at Krombacher in Kreuztal. Employers are putting the brakes on wages. This is provoking a 'knot in the beer pipeline' – namely, a whole series of warning strikes in many North Rhine-Westphalian breweries," Mura said in a statement. She added that the move across these German breweries could hit production. "Summer thirst could also suffer: Reduced beer production would also make barbecues and summer festivals drier," Mura said. The NGG union has called on brewery employers to give all staff a 6.6% wage increase this year. It has argued that employers have so far proposed a 2% hike for 2025, and a 2.2% wage increase for 2026, is "clearly too small a wage increase for properly brewed beer", said Mura. All full-time staff should earn at least €280 ($318) more a month, which "will primarily benefit those who aren't higher up the wage ladder like brewers", she said. The NGG is also calling for apprentices to receive €130 a month, Mura added. Responding to the news, Veltins told Just Drinks: "We consider the two-hour warning strike to be disproportionate given that a third round of negotiations has already been scheduled. The C. & A. Veltins brewery is interested in a better position for our employees in line with the market in agreement with both collective bargaining partners." Just Drinks has contacted Krombacher, DAB, and Diebels' owner Anheuser-Busch InBev for comment. Strikes also took place at Gaffel and Reissdorf in Cologne and Stauder, Essen, on Friday (23 May), Mura told Just Drinks. No further stoppages are planned for now, she added, noting that negotiations were due to take place with companies on 8 July. "Workers strike at German breweries" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Euronews
18-05-2025
- Euronews
Bielefeld: Revellers attacked - police speak of planned assault
Following a stabbing attack in front of a bar in Bielefeld that left several people injured, police in the North Rhine-Westphalian city are searching for the fugitive perpetrator, who is presumably still armed. According to the emergency services, the attack took place in the city centre early on Sunday morning at around 4.20 am. A previously unknown person is said to have approached the group. According to the police, he then injured several people with a "sharp object". According to the latest reports, at least five people were injured, three of them seriously. According to witnesses, the perpetrator attacked his victims indiscriminately with a knife and a cane sword. Footage from the crime scene shows forensics securing a weapon - a walking stick with a retractable blade. Other guests overpowered the attacker and inflicted facial injuries in the process. Nevertheless, he managed to break away and flee on foot. He left a rucksack at the scene of the crime. Investigators from the "Kurfürst" homicide squad, led by First Chief Inspector Markus Mertens, recovered the rucksack from the area around the crime scene. According to BILD, it contained further weapons, a bottle of flammable liquid and a residence permit issued to a Syrian national. According to the newspaper, the police are currently categorising the attack as a premeditated assault. The injured are currently receiving medical treatment in hospitals. The fugitive is around 1.70 metres tall and was reportedly wearing a white T-shirt, a dark jacket and a cap. He may have injuries to his face. The police are asking for information on their info portal and for people to keep their distance from the perpetrator if they see him, as he could still be armed. A homicide squad has been set up.
Local Germany
07-04-2025
- Local Germany
Police close schools in Duisburg after far-right threats
Around 20 schools in the North Rhine-Westphalian city are set to be impacted by the closures, a report in Der Western revealed. According to media reports, this will affect all comprehensive and secondary schools in the city, as well as one Gymnasium . Some of the schools will instead hold lessons online. According to a police statement released on Sunday evening, the management of a comprehensive school in central Duisburg ( Gesamtschule Mitte ) received a letter on Friday "containing threatening and right-wing extremist statements". The letter, which was from a previously unknown sender, pledged that criminal offences targeting the school would be carried out on Monday. On Sunday, the school received a second letter announcing further threats - this time in connection with both Gesamtschule Mitte and 13 other schools in the city. Though police said they doubted the "seriousness" of the threats, the closures are to "minimise any possible residual risk", the statement read. During the closures, Duisburg police will carry out awareness-raising measures at each of the affected schools. Advertisement It is so far unclear who sent the letters, but police say they have been investigating the incidents since Friday. "Any threat of this kind constitutes an initial suspicion of disturbing the public peace by threatening criminal offences and will be systematically investigated and prosecuted," they said. Some schools remain open According to WDR, most grammar schools ( Gymnasien ), primary schools and technical secondary schools ( Realschulen ) will still be holding in-person lessons on Monday. However, some have decided to make attendance optional, while others are offering remote lessons online. The threats sent over the weekend are the second such incident to affect Duisburg schools in recent weeks. READ ALSO: Which types of crime are rising and falling in Germany? On March 24th and 25th, attacks were threatened at the Steinbart Gymnasium in Duisburg's Dellviertel. Shortly afterwards, terror threats were found in the school toilets at St Hildegardis Grammar School on the same street. As of Monday morning, it was unclear if schools were set to reopen on Tuesday. Parents have been advised to check their schools' websites regularly for further updates.
Local Germany
26-02-2025
- Local Germany
Police pledge tightened security measures for Germany's carnival season
Carnival season is one of the most joyful times of year in Germany, where revellers take to the streets in technicolour costumes and huge parades take place on Rosenmontag in cities like Cologne and Düsseldorf. This year, however, the celebrations will be held under the shadow of a spate of recent attacks in Munich, Mannheim, Solingen, Magdeburg and Aschaffenburg. Earlier this month, a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker rammed a car into a union demonstration in Munich, killing a 37-year-old woman and her two-year-old child. In Aschaffenburg in January, a horrific attack on a nursery school also led to the death of a two-year-old child, along with a 41-year-old man who had tried to protect the children. In both cases, terrorist motives are suspected. As the last touches are being made to the parade floats and costumes, the police are also stepping up security for this year's celebrations. Along with extensive weapon and glass bans in central areas, cities and towns hosting carnivals will also see a greater number of police and other security personnel at street parties and other public gatherings. Cologne According to police operations chief Martin Lotz, the security concept in Cologne has been checked over and tightened in the wake of the recent terror attacks, and police officers have been given updated briefs. Though the situation remains "tense", Lotz emphasised that 1,500 officers would be on the streets throughout the six-day festival. Previously, Cologne police spokesperson Sascha Wallmeroth had pledged that police would have a "massive presence" at the carnival and would intervene for even minor incidents. Since the 11th of November, when carnival officially kicked off last year, a large section of the city has been subject to a weapons ban, including knives. Police will be permitted to stop and search people at random in these zones, without needing a reason for suspicion. In addition, from the start of Weibernacht on Thursday, February 27th, many parts of the city centre will be turned into a "high security area". This will primarily affect the many party area in Zülpicher Viertel. A further focus will be on protecting Cologne Synagogue, following a spike in anti-Semitic crimes. Speaking to WDR, carnival organisers also revealed that they were spending huge sums of money of security staff and paramedics this year. The festival committee has apparently spent €3.5 million on the Rosenmontag parade alone and has estimated €80,000 in additional costs if it runs over by even an hour. Once again, a ban on carrying or selling glass bottles will apply to the main carnival areas in the Old Town, in the Kwartier Latäng between Aachener Straße and Luxemburger Straße and around the Severinstorburg. Düsseldorf In the North Rhine-Westphalian capital of Düsseldorf, where around one million carnival revellers are expected, authorities have announced that the security concept has also been revised and tightened up. Extra mobile barriers will be erected in the main public areas and along the parade route, and the police are set to deploy drones and other video surveillance tools. In addition, thousands of police officers will be on patrol in the city centre and the Altstadt from Altweiber on February 27th to Rosenmontag on March 3rd, with Düsseldorf police supported by officers from Essen, Duisburg und Münster. As in Cologne, an extensive weapon and glass ban will be in place in the city centre, with checkpoints at all 16 of the entryways to the Altstadt. Police will also be supported in their work by more than 200 officials from the Ordnungsamt, who will check compliance with the safety rules. Speaking to T-Online, Police Director Thorsten Fleiß appealed directly to people not to bring knives, weapons and weapon-like items to the carnival in the first place, "so that we don't have to deal with them in these difficult times". This year, additional protection will also be provided for residents in the Carlstadt neighbourhood. The Am Horionplatz/Neusser Straße thoroughfare will only be accessible with a special transit permit, which should have already been received by residents. Other carnival cities At smaller carnival celebrations around Germany, police and festival organisers have also been adjusting their security concepts. In many cases, glass bans are in place, extra security personnel and police are on duty, and key access points to parades and other party areas are being cordoned off. "As in previous years, there are already good and established security concepts in place, which are reviewed selectively based on the current security and local situation," a spokesperson for the city of Bonn told WDR. However, police and other authorities are in close contact "so that any necessary adjustments can be made at short notice". According to Frank Prömpeler, President of the Aachen Carnival Festival Committee, new security measures are under review but a decision has already been made to block off more side streets leading to the Rose Monday parade route. Eighteen of these blockades are currently in place. In Münster, carnival organisers responded to the Christmas market attack in Magdeburg by increasing the number of access barriers planned at the event. Instead of the 40 so-called anti-terror barriers that were set up in 2024, there will be 63 this year. In some cases, tour buses will be used as anti-terror blockades. Should people be worried about terror attacks this year? Despite the understandable anxieties, the Cologne Carnival Committee has stressed that there is little reason to worry when attending the celebrations. "We are monitoring the situation very closely together with the security authorities, but do not currently see any drastic change in the security situation for the Cologne Rose Monday parade," the organisers said in a statement. On Tuesday, German tabloid Bild published a screenshot taken from an IS propaganda site, which listed Cologne Weibernacht as one of a list of potential attack targets. Al-Saif Media (Unofficial #IslamicState) releases threatening poster: "Choose Your Next Target!". Upcoming #European events are named as potential #attack sites — from #Cologne Carnival to #Rotterdam 's Festival der Liebe. #ISIS #Jihadist #Propaganda Read more:… — TRACTerrorism (@TracTerrorism) February 24, 2025 However, security circles in North Rhine-Westphalia told the regional Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper, that the posts were "deliberate scaremongering" and there had been no concrete evidence of a potential attack. This was echoed by Cologne police chief Lotz, who said IS were simply aiming to unsettle the population. Meanwhile, NRW interior minister Herbert Reul (CDU) urged people to go out and enjoy the carnival season without worrying. "Make sure you go out and celebrate in a relaxed manner," Reul said. "We mustn't let the people who threaten our society ruin our lives. That would be the greatest success they could have." With intensive preparations and security measures in place, authorities are convinced that this year's carnival season is set to be the joyful celebration it always is.
