Germany: Postal workers hold strike

[merson01]

Germany: Postal workers hold strike

German postal workers began staging warning strikes on April 21 over a pay dispute with Deutsche Post.

The dispute involves 130,000 workers across Germany. The strikes took place in a number of major cities including Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Hanover and Dresden. Approximately 3 million letters went undelivered, according to the trade union Verdi.

Although warning strikes in Germany have usually involved temporary stoppages, postal workers are to vote on April 25 for full strike action from May 2 following the breakdown of wage talks with Deutsche Post last week.

Deutsche Post has offered a wage increase over two years of 5.5 percent in combination with 3.5 more working hours per week. The union is demanding a 7 percent wage increase and a job guarantee through to June 2011.