The union Verdi announced on Tuesday that the warning strikes, which began in Northern and Eastern Germany, will be extended to further regions on Wednesday. Specifically, industrial action is planned for North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia.
Due to these strikes, members of Verdi warned that customers can expect service disruptions, including decreased accessibility and delays in technical customer service and fiber optic expansion work, in addition to canceled customer appointments.
However, according to Verdi’s campaign leader, Pascal Röckert, the impact on customers is unavoidable. He clarified that the primary purpose of the strikes is to send a strong signal to the employers and to present a workable offer during the wage negotiations. Röckert emphasized that since the employers have not yet acknowledged the union’s demands, the workers are building up pressure through these actions, suggesting that the employers should take the union’s claims seriously.
In this year’s round of negotiations, Verdi is demanding a 6.6% pay increase for Deutsche Telekom, with the employment contract running for twelve months. Additionally, the union is demanding the introduction of a Verdi membership bonus totaling €660 per year. Furthermore, pay rates for apprentices and students completing dual studies should be increased by €120 per month, accompanied by a separate membership bonus of €240 annually.
The third official round of wage negotiations is scheduled to take place on May 11th and 12th.