BVG collective bargaining: Verdi warns of possible strikes!

BVG collective bargaining: Verdi warns of possible strikes!

In an exciting conflict of tariffs between the Verdi union and the Berlin transport businesses (BVG), the first negotiations on Wednesday ended without a concrete result. After the first meeting, both sides admitted that there is a need to catch up with the salaries, but the differences in the assessment of this need remain significant. Verdi demands a wage increase of 750 euros per month for the approximately 16,000 employees, plus various allowances that together the BVG would cost around 250 million euros a year, such as the Tagesspiegel reported. The next round of negotiations will be pending on January 31st.

No strikes by mid -January

The union has announced that no strikes will take place by January 22. This decision was made after the Verdi collective bargaining commission had decided to ask the members to evaluate the results of the first round of negotiations. Verdi emphasized that every strike will be announced at least 24 hours in advance, which means that the earliest possible industrial action would only take place on January 23, as the BZ Berlin reports. This initially gives passengers a certain relief and time to prepare for possible changes.

BVG HR head of HR Jenny Zeller-Grothe rejected Verdi's claims as "unavailable" and called for a rethinking of the suggestions. Despite the warnings of the BVG of possible selective work, which could affect passengers, the union representative Jeremy Arndt shows himself combative and emphasizes that the negotiations are crucial for the future of the BVG and its employees. The challenges that the BVG is facing are considerable, especially in the context of increasing living costs and the high willingness of the employees who are looking for higher wages in other federal states or transport providers.

bz berlin