Verdi's Deutsche Telekom strike disrupts services across western Germany
The Verdi union has called for a warning strike at Deutsche Telekom on May 12, targeting locations across Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. Over 700 workers are expected to join the action, adding to more than 10,000 employees who have already participated in strikes since April 28. Customers may now face delays in support and slower progress on fiber-optic network expansion.
The strike will disrupt operations in Koblenz, Mainz, Bad Kreuznach, Kaiserslautern, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Ludwigshafen, Trier, and Saarbrücken. Employees from Deutsche Telekom Privatkunden-Vertrieb GmbH, Deutsche Telekom Services Europe SE, and T-Systems International GmbH have been urged to take part in solidarity actions.
Verdi is demanding a 6.6% wage increase for around 60,000 workers under collective agreements, along with a 12-month contract term. The union also wants an annual €660 bonus for members and a €120 monthly pay rise for apprentices, plus an extra €240 yearly bonus. Pascal Rückert, Verdi’s industrial action coordinator, criticised Telekom’s approach, claiming the company refuses to negotiate jointly for all subsidiaries despite pushing for 'radical collaboration' in daily operations. Rückert praised the high turnout from other parts of the company in previous solidarity strikes. However, the ongoing dispute has already led to reduced service availability, technical support delays, and slower fiber-optic rollouts.
The strike follows weeks of industrial action, with over 10,000 employees joining warning strikes since late April. Customers may continue to experience service disruptions as negotiations remain deadlocked. Verdi’s demands include higher wages, bonuses, and improved conditions for apprentices across Telekom’s subsidiaries.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
