The Verdi services union had called for work stoppages at Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof in three federal states. Hamburg, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse were affected.
In 19 department stores of the insolvent group, employees took part in the all-day strike on Saturday. However, the shops remained open.
Verdi did not justify the warning strikes with the restructuring plan, but with deadlocked collective bargaining for the approximately 17,000 employees.
In 19 department stores of the insolvent group Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof, employees took part in all-day warning strikes on Saturday. However, the shops remained open. The Verdi services union had called for work stoppages in three federal states. Hamburg, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse were affected. All five department stores were on strike in Hamburg, six in Baden-Württemberg and eight in Hesse, according to the state districts of Verdi.
“All branches are open and will remain so,” said a company spokesman on Saturday in Essen. The Galeria board had previously described the strike measures as illegal. The background to the protest actions is the restructuring plan for the company approved by the creditors. It provides for the closure of 47 of the 129 branches nationwide, which would mean the loss of around 4,000 jobs.
Verdi did not justify the warning strikes with the restructuring plan, but with deadlocked collective bargaining for the approximately 17,000 employees. Among other things, the union demands the recognition of the regional collective bargaining agreements in the retail trade.
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“The workforce has been investing money in the restructuring of the company for many years and waives up to 5,500 euros every year,” said Hamburg’s Verdi Vice Chairwoman Heike Lattekamp. The anger and disappointment of the employees are very great. The management had recently ruled out a return to the collective agreement and called for more flexible working hours. “Our response to these outrageous plans are the first regional warning strikes.”
The Galeria board had criticized plans for warning strikes. “The planned strike measures are obviously illegal and threaten to cause ruinous damage for which you would be held liable,” wrote CEO Miguel Müllenbach and Galeria chief representative Arndt Geiwitz to the Verdi leadership, as reported by Business Insider. In the letter, they reminded that Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof is still in insolvency proceedings and in an “existential crisis situation”.
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dpa/kh