Overview
- Verdi launched coordinated warning strikes on Friday, calling more than half of Germany’s Ikea stores to action and organising walkouts in Berlin, Hamburg, Chemnitz, Magdeburg and multiple NRW locations to raise pressure before upcoming talks.
- The union demands a 7% wage increase or a minimum rise of about €222–€225 for 12 months plus higher trainee pay and a renten‑secure minimum hourly wage; employers have offered substantially smaller, multi‑year rises that Verdi rejects as inadequate.
- Ikea is a central target because Verdi says the company posted strong 2024 sales and plays an influential role on employer committees, while Ikea says it respects strike rights and will try to limit disruption to staff and customers.
- Reports say thousands of retail workers joined the action and that 31 Ikea outlets saw clear strike effects on Friday, including some service and checkout disruptions, though most stores remained open and wider customer impact was mixed.
- The strikes raise the stakes ahead of key negotiations at the end of June and on 9 July and could prompt further regional action if employers do not revise offers, with workers citing rising living costs and fears of income and pension erosion as the drive for escalation.