Employees from all five Ikea stores in central Germany took part in a joint warning strike for the first time on Monday. As the Verdi union announced at the request of MDR AKTUELL, around 400 employees from all central German locations came to a rally in front of Ikea in Chemnitz’s Neefepark.
Verdi negotiator Torsten Furgol said it was a clear sign of greater appreciation of the work and recognition of the employees’ performance. The branches in Magdeburg, Günthersdorf, Dresden, Erfurt and Chemnitz all remained open, only in Chemnitz did Ikea have to close the bistro because of the warning strike.
With the warning strike, the union wanted to put pressure on employers in the ongoing collective negotiations. Verdi is calling for higher wages for the 270,000 employees in retail and mail order in Central Germany. Accordingly, their hourly wages should increase by 2.50 euros retroactively from June 2023, and apprentice pay should be increased by 250 euros per month. Four rounds of negotiations have so far remained inconclusive. The fifth round starts on Wednesday.