Strike for rights to wages: Focus on women at the Equal Pay Day!

Strike for rights to wages: Focus on women at the Equal Pay Day!

The collective bargaining for over 2.5 million employees in the public service, which took place on February 18 without an offer from employers, caused the United Service Union (ver.di) to intensify the warning strikes. The planned nationwide strike day on March 7, which overlaps the Equal Pay Day and International Women's Day, should draw attention to the existing grievances. In 2024, the Gender Pay GAP in Germany was 16 percent, which underlines the urgency of the claims. nrw.verdi.de reports that central actions are planned especially in North Rhine-Westphalia, including in Cologne, Essen, Dortmund and Gütersloh.

in Cologne, the rallies and demo train begins at 10 a.m. on Hans-Böckler-Platz and at 10:15 a.m. on Ottplatz. The main rally takes place on Heumarkt from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with Christine Behle, the main speaker and member of the ver.di Federal Executive Board. Similarly, a rally will take place in Essen at 9:30 a.m. on the Hirschlandplatz, followed by a demonstration at 10:30 a.m. Dortmund and Gütersloh are also locations of these movements, where those involved want to draw attention to the difficult working conditions in social professions. In Dortmund, the main speaker Andrea Becker takes place at Friedensplatz at 11:30 a.m. In Gütersloh, Susanne Hille will lead the rally in front of the town hall.

goals of the strikes

The main claims include a fee increase of 8 percent and a minor increase of 350 euros per month. This goes hand in hand with an increase in the surcharges for stressful layers such as night and holiday work. According to a survey by ver.di, working conditions in social professions are very challenging, which is reflected in the high number of vacant positions. Over 79.1 percent of the jobs are vacant in the care sector, while 63.9 percent in the area of ​​social work. In daycare centers, too, the unoccupied job share is 78.3 percent. rps.verdi.de emphasizes that many employees can not even stay in their profession.

The ongoing collective bargaining, which will continue in Potsdam on March 14, aim to sustainably improve the working conditions of the employees in the public service. It is expected that further warning strikes are possible in the context of the impending agreement of ver.di and employers.

another context

The tariff round 2025 for over 2.6 million tariff employees of the municipalities and the federal government, started on January 24th in Potsdam, quickly gained momentum. Numerous demonstrative actions are announced for the coming months. The core demands of the unions include not only a salary increase, but also additional free days, a working time account and a term of the new tariffs of 12 months. These demands reflect on the increasing cost of living and the need to make the social sector more attractive. oeffhalt-dienst.de Documented the development of these collective bargaining.

Overall, it can be seen that the public service faces major challenges that affect both the attractiveness of the respective professions and the financial security of the employees. The upcoming strike day on March 7th will be a clear expression of the collective concern for justice and appreciation in these essential professions.