Overview
- Verdi has staged coordinated regional warning strikes in several states, with actions in Hannover, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen and Berlin/Brandenburg that have paused shifts at a Kaufland logistics hub and called employees from chains such as Ikea, H&M, Primark, Zara, Metro, Rewe and Edeka to strike.
- The union demands about 7% higher pay, fixed monthly supplements (for example at least €225 in retail and €250 in wholesale), a €14.90 hourly floor for low pay groups and bigger apprentice pay, and it rejects employer offers of low percentage rises and longer contract terms as insufficient.
- Employers' proposals reported in recent bargaining rounds included single-digit percent offers spread over longer contract periods, which Verdi says would mean real-wage losses for many workers and has therefore declared the offers not negotiable.
- The stoppages have produced concrete supply effects, with Verdi warning a 24-hour pause at Barsinghausen could cause delivery bottlenecks in the region and unions staging demonstrations and workplace rallies to increase pressure on employers.
- The dispute remains unresolved with further negotiation dates set for June and large regional workforces at stake, leaving open the chance of wider escalation if employers do not present new offers that meet the union’s short-term, inflation‑protecting demands.