As of: March 28, 2024 11:21 a.m
There have already been several warning strikes in central retail warehouses in the Hanover region this week. The ver.di union is currently calling for an Easter strike in the state capital.
According to the police, up to 180 participants have gathered on Goseriedeplatz in Hanover since Thursday morning. According to ver.di, the rally for the 24-hour retail strike is the highlight of the strike week. The focus of the strikes is therefore on the Schwarz Group, which includes Lidl and Kaufland. Employees nationwide are being asked to stop working. Ver.di cites the collective bargaining dispute with the German Trade Association (HDE) as the reason for the work stoppage.
Kaufland: Delivery of goods fully guaranteed
“Kaufland customers have to prepare for a thinned out product range on supermarket shelves in the days before and after Easter,” union secretary Mizgin Ciftci had previously explained in a statement. Kaufland said it respects employees’ participation in strikes, but does not want to comment further on ver.di’s demands or any measures taken as part of the collective bargaining dispute. “All of our branches are open as usual, the full supply of goods is still ensured and our customers can do their shopping with us as usual,” it said.
Collective bargaining in retail is at a standstill
Collective bargaining for the millions of retail workers across Germany has made little progress for almost a year. Ver.di and the HDE have been negotiating for eleven months. For many retail workers, life is hardly affordable with a standard wage of less than 15 euros per hour, said union secretary Ciftci. Employers must therefore fulfill their social responsibility.
Ver.di demands a collective minimum wage of 13.50 euros
According to its own information, the union is calling for an hourly wage increase of 2.50 euros for employees in collectively agreed retail trade for a period of twelve months and a collectively agreed minimum wage of 13.50 euros. On the recommendation of the German Trade Association (HDE), several companies, including the Schwarz Group, to which Kaufland belongs, raised wages even before a collective agreement was reached.
A logistics center was already on strike on Tuesday
There was already a strike at the Kaufland logistics center in Barsinghausen on Tuesday morning. According to the union, around 300 of around 800 employees in Barsinghausen are members of ver.di. On Wednesday, two central warehouses in the Hanover region went on strike.
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NDR 1 Lower Saxony | Current | March 28, 2024 | 06:00 am