Halle (dpa/sa) - In Saxony-Anhalt, parts of the public service are to be on strike on Wednesday. The Verdi union announced an all-day warning strike by employees in the municipal daycare centers and after-school care centers in Halle, Magdeburg, in the Saalekreis, Bördekreis and Burgenlandkreis districts as well as in the cities of Burg and Halberstadt. A Verdi spokesman said there could also be walkouts in daycare centers and after-school care centers in other municipalities such as Köthen and Wittenberg. A warning strike was called throughout the state. Restrictions are therefore to be expected. How far-reaching these will be cannot yet be foreseen.
The federal and local governments had offered their 2.5 million public sector employees five percent more wages and 2,500 euros in one-off payments over a period of 27 months in the nationwide collective bargaining dispute. The Verdi union had rejected this as "cheeky", they continue to demand 10.5 percent for a one-year term, but at least 500 euros more per month. The third round of negotiations is scheduled for the end of March.
