Strike avalanche in North Rhine-Westphalia: Thousands protest for better working conditions!

Strike avalanche in North Rhine-Westphalia: Thousands protest for better working conditions!

On Wednesday, February 12, 2025, thousands of public service employees were again in warning strike in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). The focus of the work layouts were in Essen and Düsseldorf, where the effects were particularly noticeable in daycare centers, citizens' offices and urban swimming pools. According to Verdi not only the savings bank, but also the traffic monitoring of the Ordnungsamtes and the Ruhrbahn. Hundreds of the city administration, the bathing company and the job center were active in Düsseldorf. The city and Kreissparkasse Düsseldorf was also affected by the work.

Warning strikes also took place in other cities such as Remscheid and Hagen. In Remscheid, the employees from urban daycare centers, transport companies and the administration came together, while in Hagen there were comprehensive failures in local public transport (public transport). In Duisburg, several hundred employees targeted the municipal utilities. The city administrations of Recklinghausen and the district administration were affected in the Ruhr area.

planned actions and strike progress

The strikes that have been going on since Monday are capturing more and more cities. For example, employees in Cologne, including various urban facilities and the Kreissparkasse, are also planning a strike. A strike rally has been announced on the old market for Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. At the same time, all buses stay in the depots in Dortmund. Employees of the Stadtwerke and the waste -working companies are also called up here, which should lead to massive restrictions in local transport.

The collective bargaining from which these strikes result are imminent. On February 17, 2025, the second round of negotiations, represented by union leader Frank Werneke, claims to be called for a “good offer” from the employers. According to the information from WDR , this conflict affects about 2.5 million employees in the public service, especially in the areas of education, garbage works and care.

claims of the public service

Verdi currently calls for a salary increase of eight percent or at least 350 euros per month. In addition, higher surcharges for stressful activities and better remuneration for trainees are required. In addition, the weekly working hours of the officials from 40/41 hours are to be reduced to 39 hours. Werneke emphasizes that the unoccupied areas and the existing shortage of personnel also burden employees, which underlines the urgent need for the negotiated changes.

Another sign of urgency: Verdi could theoretically also strike public transport and Deutsche Post to put pressure on employers. This makes the entire dimension of the current striking potter and the upcoming negotiations all the more clear. n-tv quotes Werneke, who expresses special concern about the situation in the transport area and does not exclude large strikes if the employers do not go to the demands.