News

The employers of private and public banks failed once again to put an offer on the table in the second bargaining round, with the result, that staff members will voice their discontent with warning strikes and actions to protest against this behaviour in the period until the third round on 3rd May", says Beate Mensch from the Federal Executive of the United Services Union (ver.di).



These nationwide actions will take place within the next few days and start in the Commerzbank in Dortmund, where after a works council meeting staff engaged in a warning strike lasting the whole day. Through these strikes ver.di will increase the pressure on employers to make sure they will present a negotiable offer in the third round.



Up to now nothing is moving. The employers rejected all trade union demands and in the second round on 29th March they said that in exchange to the extension of the early retirement scheme they want to negotiate on working on Saturdays.



"Bank staff is considering this a strong provocation. Instead of expressing them their esteem for the good they do the employers are now taking position against their employees", the ver.di negotiator says. Beate Mensch emphasised that employees under collective agreements are part of the normal wage earners and not of the millionaires. They do a very good job across the whole sector and deserved to get more money.



ver.di is asking a 6% increase for the roughly 220.000 employees in the private and public banking sector. Further claims are a vocational training ratio of 7 %, the employment of apprentices for an indefinite period, the extension of the early retirement scheme und binding agreements for better health protection.