The negotiations for a new commercial KV have again ended without results. The more than 430,000 employees now want to work hard to achieve the required salary increase. Disruptive actions are planned for the so-called “Black Friday” weekend to further increase the pressure.
The fourth round of negotiations between employers and the union ended without results on Thursday evening. There is currently no new date for further discussions. Trade union GPA announced that it will now increase the pressure with protests this Friday and Saturday.
“Unfortunately, the employers have not relented and are standing by their final offer. That is simply not enough,” GPA chief negotiator Veronika Arnost said in a broadcast. The employer offer does not offer any certainty for sustainable wage development.
The deal fell through due to ‘details’
“We have had long, valuable discussions, but unfortunately the employee representatives are still unwilling to accept the reality. They continue to demand a deal that is simply not possible for retail companies given the economic situation,” explains employer representative Rainer Trefelik, chairman of the federal trade department. A deal Thursday “ultimately fell through because of details.”
On Wednesday, national works council conferences decided on “disruptive actions” for “Black Friday” on November 29 and the following Saturday if no agreement was reached in the fourth round.
Employee representatives did not want to reveal on Wednesday what protest measures the GPA union could take in a week. “Be surprised,” said the chairman of GPA’s trading department, Martin Müllauer.
What is the retail industry asking for?
The employees recently demanded a 4.3 percent salary increase for 2025, but lowered their demand to 3.9 percent on Thursday. Employers offer a two-year contract with an initial 3.1 percent and a year later half a percent above inflation – but only if the relevant inflation rate is below two percent.
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.
