The BDA is calling for limits on the right to strike after Verdi launched another wave of warning strikes. In a Tuesday issue of Bild, BDA chief executive Steffen Kampeter told the paper that “first strike, then negotiate” erodes trust and that Germany urgently needs a law that sets fairness rules for strikes. Kampeter accused Verdi of an irresponsible strike strategy and pointed out that whether in public transport or winter‑service jobs, many workers had already struggled to get into their workplaces last week, putting them at risk of damage and, in the worst cases, bodily harm.

Verdi and the civil‑servants’ union dbb are demanding either a 7 % wage increase or at least €300 more per month. The dispute involves about 2.2 million employees.