On Monday, warning strikes will paralyze almost all public transport in Germany.
The Verdi union is demanding 10.5 percent more salaries for federal and local employees.
Frank Werneke has been chairman of the Verdi trade union since 2019. According to information from “Bild”, his annual salary should be almost 200,000 euros.
The way to work will be difficult for many commuters on Monday: regional trains and suburban trains are standing still, as are many buses, trams and subways. Hardly anything will work in long-distance rail transport and at most German airports.
The reason is joint warning strikes by the Verdi union and the railway and transport union (EVG), who want to fight for higher wages. As part of their respective collective bargaining conflicts, they are calling for work stoppages in the railway sector, at airports, on rivers and in municipal ports as well as in local public transport in seven federal states.
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Verdi demands 10.5 percent more salary
Verdi boss Frank Werneke said in the “Bild am Sonntag”: Nobody would like an indefinite strike in the public sector. According to him, however, a day when nothing moves in Germany is better than “weeks of clashes that end up affecting the population much more.”
However, he also warned: “We are capable of a comprehensive labor dispute if our demands are not met.” In the current collective bargaining round, Verdi is calling for a 10.5 percent increase in salary for federal and local employees, but at least 500 euros more in general month with a term of twelve months.
But who is actually Verdi boss Frank Werneke?
Werneke probably earns almost 200,000 euros a year
Verdi elected Werneke to chair the union in 2019. According to his curriculum vitae, he had previously been on the federal executive board for 18 years, from 2002 as deputy chairman. In addition to the department for media, art and industry, he was responsible for finances, among other things.
Werneke has been a member of the SPD since 1982 and lives with his partner in Berlin. According to the „Bild“ the union boss is said to be firmly left-wing. He is therefore described as a clearly structured analyst. According to information from the newspaper, Werneke earns at least 190,000 euros a year (as of 2020).
With material from the dpa / aha