The first round of collective bargaining in the public sector is to take place in Potsdam on January 24th. And actions by the Verdi union are already intended to support the demands for more wages. For example, employees of the city of Fürth and the Fürth Clinic want to bring more than 2,000 signatures to the City Council and Lord Mayor Thomas Jung (SPD) before the meeting in the Fürth City Hall.
The municipal employees in administration and clinic are demanding a wage increase of 10.5 percent, but at least 500 euros a month, which should help low earners in particular. In October, the Verdi unions and the civil servants’ association dbb agreed on this demand. For trainees it should be 200 euros more – with a term of twelve months. With the campaign, the Fürth employees want to emphasize these demands.
Employees want support from Fürth’s city council
Around 1,100 employees of the city and almost 1,000 of the municipal hospital took part. “Anyone who wants a functioning public service must also be prepared to pay the employees accordingly,” says Annita Zwirner, who works in the intensive care unit at the Fürth Clinic and is active in the verdi operating group. “We call on those responsible in the city of Fürth to campaign for this.”
However, given the current challenges posed by inflation, the energy crisis, the corona pandemic and the war in Ukraine, many cities and municipalities are complaining about tight coffers. For the 2.5 million employees nationwide, the federal and local governments would cost around 22 billion euros, according to their chamberlains. The federal government and local authorities therefore immediately rejected the claim. Warning strikes in the public sector are therefore to be expected.
