The union Verdi has called for warning strikes among employees of NDR, and also those working for WDR, SWR, and BR. According to a statement from the union on Thursday, industrial actions have been underway since Wednesday at WDR and SWR, while they began on Thursday at BR and NDR. The reason for the strikes is the stagnation of collective bargaining negotiations concerning the approximately 37,000 employees of public broadcasting corporations.
At NDR, a strike meeting is scheduled for 12:00 PM at the transmission center in Hanover. The strike has already started showing effects: On Thursday, the ARD morning magazine was only able to broadcast one version of the daily news without a female presenter appearing on screen. However, the concert planned by the NDR Philharmonic was unaffected, as the employees in building and event technology concluded their warning strike at 7:00 PM.
Verdi is demanding a 7% pay increase, with a minimum raise of 300 euros per month, over a twelve-month period. The employers-the management of WDR, BR, SWR, and NDR-have proposed a thirty-five-month duration with annual increases of one to two percent. Christoph Schmitz-Dethlefsen, a member of the Verdi federal executive committee responsible for media, criticized this offer, stating that “one can hardly call it an offer.” The next round of negotiations for NDR is scheduled for June 26th.
