The retail trade union protest is expected to continue until Friday. However, no major events are planned for Christmas. On Wednesday there was a strike in St. Veit (Carinthia) and the staff of Billa Plus in Wolfsberg blocked the entrance for fifteen minutes.
Then there was a short staff meeting. According to the association, no major actions are planned for Christmas. There has still been no further discussion with the employer. “We are ready to negotiate at any time, even between years,” the union said. She wants to realize a staggered salary agreement between 8.48 and 9.38 percent for the approximately 430,000 employees in the retail sector. Employers have only offered eight percent so far.
Probably not ready until the new year
Last week, the sixth round of negotiations failed after almost ten hours. It is expected that the new KV degree will not be achieved until 2024.
Retail employees are also currently on strike in Germany. The large supermarket and discount chains H&M, Thalia and Ikea are particularly affected. Strikes will take place in Berlin and Brandenburg until Saturday, and warning strikes have been announced in Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern until Thursday.
The background is also a collective bargaining conflict. Verdi demands at least 2.50 euros more wages per hour in retail in all regions and a term of one year. Additional requirements apply depending on the state. Branches did not have to close in recent months; shelves sometimes remained empty for a long time.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
