News

Negotiations with the fashion retailer Primark were postponed as they entered the third round on 13 November in Hanover. Verdi, the United Services Union, is demanding the recognition of the regional sectoral agreements for the 7000 workers who are employed by the company.

“Both sides agree on the objective. Today, Primark declared for the first time that they wanted a collective agreement. Now we have to see how we reach that goal promptly”, said Arno Peukes, Verdi’s chief negotiator. He announced that over the next few days, the union would be putting together a proposal for the speedy adoption of a collective agreement. “The next round is scheduled for 7 December, by which time we will a clearer picture of whether the employers take their social responsibilities seriously. The employees want a guarantee of a living wage and decent working conditions in exchange for their hard work to be enshrined in a collective agreement. According to Peukes, this was the message behind the strikes that have taken place over the last few days.

The employees of Primark Germany, together with their union Verdi, have been pushing for a collective agreement with Primark for months. UNI Global Union and its affiliates support this demand.