The Verdi trade union in Germany has called on service sector workers to organize new nationwide warning strikes, in the context of ongoing wage negotiations in the retail sector.
The union announced that thousands of employees would stop working on Friday, with central strike rallies being organized in a number of cities, including Dortmund, Berlin, Wiesbaden, Hanover, Oldenburg, Braunschweig and Hamburg.
Silke Zimmer, a member of the union's federal executive board, said that employers continue to stall during the current round of negotiations, adding that the union will increase the pressure again, and that the irresponsible treatment of employees threatens the future of one of the country's largest private economic sectors.
Verdi did not disclose the names of the retailers involved in the strikes. It has previously called for warning strikes involving companies such as Kaufland and IKEA, and the impact of these strikes on consumers has often been limited.
Wage negotiations for the retail, wholesale, and foreign trade sectors began last April in several administrative regions. The union is demanding a 7% wage increase, with a minimum of €225 per month, for a 12-month contract.
In contrast, employers in several German states made a revised offer to raise wages by 2.4% starting next November, followed by an additional 2% increase in August 2027, as part of a two-year agreement, but the union rejected this proposal.
Verdi notes that the German trade sector employs approximately 5.2 million workers, 3.4 million of whom are in retail. The previous round of negotiations lasted over a year and concluded with an overall wage increase of nearly 14% for the period between 2023 and 2025.
