German Workers Take Industrial Action Across Media, Hospitals, Retail, and Banking as Pay Talks Stumble
Published on 06/16/2026 at 20:35 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
A wave of walkouts is rolling through several German industries this week as the ver.di service workers' union escalates long-running wage disputes. The most dramatic move comes from the Postbank, where the union declared negotiations dead on Tuesday and launched a ballot for potentially unlimited strikes.
That postal-banking vote runs until July 3 and requires 75 percent approval from eligible voters. ver.di is demanding an 8 percent pay rise, with a minimum increase of €300 per month. A fourth round of talks is scheduled for June 30 in Berlin. If the ballot passes, German banking customers could face sustained disruption.
Starting Wednesday at 2:00 a.m., employees at the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) and its affiliated broadcasting-fee collection service will down tools for 48 hours. The strike follows a fifth round of negotiations on June 9 that produced no result. The union is demanding a 7 percent pay hike — at least €300 more per month — plus a €200 increase in apprentice stipends. The proposed contract would run only 12 months. The next bargaining date is set for July 1.
Separately, roughly 1,600 workers at four university hospitals in Baden-Württemberg — Freiburg, Heidelberg, Ulm and Tübingen — staged stoppages on Monday and Tuesday. Operating rooms were shut down, though emergency care continued. ver.di is asking for 7.5 percent more pay and a social-component minimum of €320. The employers' association AGU criticized the strikes as premature, citing the hospitals' strained finances. The union counters that no offer was ever tabled and that the employers cancelled an existing job-protection agreement. Negotiations for the university clinics are due to resume on Wednesday, the same day the WDR strike begins.
Retail workers in Lower Saxony and Bremen are also joining the action on Wednesday. A central rally is planned in Hannover. The union wants a 7 percent wage increase and a minimum hourly wage of €14.90 in retail.
ver.di framed the multiple actions as a coordinated pushback against employers who, in the union's view, have refused to make serious offers across sectors. The coming weeks will test whether the pressure draws concessions or hardens positions further.
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