The labor union Verdi is expanding its warning strikes at Deutsche Telekom. This Thursday, employees in Hessen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Baden-Württemberg, and Bavaria are also scheduled to work. Previously, locations in North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, and Thuringia were affected on Wednesday, while strikes targeted northern and northeastern German regions the day before. Verdi announced on Wednesday evening that due to the warning strikes, customers should anticipate potential difficulties, including reduced availability, delays in technical customer service and fiber optic expansion, and cancellations of scheduled appointments. They stated that service restrictions for Telekom customers are “unavoidable”.
Verdi’s demands stem from the employers’ refusal to negotiate regarding their requests and the failure to present any formal offer. For the current tariff round at Deutsche Telekom, the union is pushing for a 6.6 percent pay increase coupled with a twelve-month contract duration. In addition to this, Verdi also aims to implement a “Verdi member bonus” of 660 euros annually.