The department store group has had new owners since August 1st. The US investment company NRDC and an investment company owned by entrepreneur Bernd Beetz are in charge of Galeria S.à rl & Co. KG, which is the new company name. Kaufhof and Karstadt have been deleted from the company name.
According to the union, the background to the warning strike is that Galeria management is making employees’ waiver of a collective agreement a condition for a wage increase. In addition, the wage increase should only be paid if 90 percent of the employees in a branch waive a collective agreement.
According to Verdi, only those who agree to the waiver should receive more money. There will be strikes at the six Berlin locations and the one in Potsdam. According to the union, a good 1,000 employees work there.
In the morning, Verdi held a rally with around 60 employees in front of the branch in Steglitz. Many are angry, said union secretary Ralph Thomas. They were annoyed by the pressure exerted by the owner. However, the quota of 90 percent has already been reached in some branches.
Verdi: Employees have the choice between plague and cholera
“The new owners are promising more money for the employees, which is actually urgently needed. But in return they demand a waiver of the collective agreement,” said Conny Weißbach, head of the Berlin-Brandenburg trade department. This would drive the sellers into a corner because they would only have the choice between plague and cholera.
With a view to Alexanderplatz, it was recently announced that the property owner Commerz Real wants to convert the building from January 2026 with the aim of subsequent mixed use.
“The structural and technical structure” is neither spatially designed for mixed use, nor does the building in its current form correspond to the future energy requirements and the requirements of the EU taxonomy, i.e. the EU-wide system for classifying sustainable economic activities, said Commerzbank -Daughter on request. In addition, people’s shopping behavior has changed significantly and will continue to change, which is why retailers need less space.
Real estate owner wants “positive, culture-driven development on Alex”
They are in discussions with Galeria “to find a sustainable and long-lasting retail solution for the period after the renovation”. In addition, discussions are being held with both Berliner Immobilienmanagement GmbH and the Senate about the possible use of the building by both Galeria and the Berlin Central and State Library (ZLB). “We can well imagine both and see great potential for a positive, culture-driven development at Alexanderplatz.” The ZLB location alone “could make a difference in this unfortunately crime-ridden location,” said Commerz Real.
They definitely want to avoid jobs being lost. Together with Galeria, they want to develop a usage concept that will work for the next 20 years. The entire complex should “offer a lively mix of work, culture and shopping”.
In view of the talks between Commerz Real and the Senate, Verdi said that the employees were extremely unsettled. “What the employees and their families have to endure goes far beyond what is bearable. We expect that the jobs for around 350 people will be secured,” said Weißbach.
