Munich/Würzburg (dpa/lby) – In Bavaria there were the first warning strikes in the public sector on Tuesday. There were no trams in Würzburg, and the garbage disposal was on strike, as was the case in Aschaffenburg. In Ansbach there were walkouts in the clinics, in the job center and at the municipal works, in Augsburg, according to the Verdi union, the city administration was affected. According to Verdi, around 600 employees demonstrated in Würzburg and Ansbach on Tuesday for more wages. In Aschaffenburg, 300 employees took to the streets.
On Wednesday, the employees of the daycare centers in Augsburg will go on warning strike, and a rally is planned at the train station. In Fürth, the daycare centers, garbage disposal, the clinic and several offices are to be struck. So-called active lunch breaks are planned in Bad Kissingen.
The union has called around 3,000 public sector employees in Nuremberg to warning strikes for Thursday. Daycare centers, garbage disposal, clinics, care for the elderly and public utilities are affected, said a Verdi spokeswoman. In Bamberg there should be no bus on Thursday, the garbage should be left and the indoor pool should remain closed. A trade unionist said that many offices would then also be closed. A rally is planned in downtown Bamberg. Garbage disposal will also be on strike in Augsburg on Thursday.
The Bavarian Business Association (vbw) criticized the strikes in day-care centers as an unnecessary escalation. Involving working parents in the collective bargaining conflict is disproportionate, said CEO Bertram Brossardt in Munich.
Verdi is calling for a 10.5 percent increase in salary for the 2.5 million municipal and federal public sector employees in the nationwide collective bargaining round, but at least 500 euros more per month for a period of twelve months. The second round of negotiations will take place in Potsdam starting on Ash Wednesday.
