Labor actions escalate at bread manufacturing facilities
In the Heart of Germany's Bakery Battle
The bake-off between German bakeries and their workers is heating up. Mohamed Boudih, NGG's North Rhine-Westphalia and North tariff district negotiator, voiced their disapproval of the employers' current offer, stating, "It's a total no-go." Negotiations are slated for June 27th.
To escalate the stagnant talks, the Union of Food, Beverage, and Catering Workers (NGG) is instigating strike actions across key regions, such as North Rhine-Westphalia, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Bremen, Schleswig-Holstein, and others. Recent walkouts occurred at Wback in Lünen, Lieken in Bönen, Duisburg, and Übach-Palenberg near Aachen. Last week, more than 200 employees at the Bonback and Sindra bakeries, suppliers to Lidl and Kaufland, staged an eight-hour warning strike in Übach-Palenberg. This action reportedly shut down production, impacting Lidl stores globally.
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The bakery sector comprises several tariff districts, unlike the metal and electrical industries where a pilot district exists. "NGG-wide, we manage our tariff policy ourselves," says Boudih, hinting at continued strikes this and next week. Union participation has been favorable thus far.
The workers are demanding a 7% wage increase over 12 months, a 100 euro bonus for trainees, retention bonuses, and additional free days for NGG members. Similar demands for increased free days have recently been made by other unions, notably the Industrial Union of Mining, Chemistry, and Energy, which secured an additional day for its members last year.
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Wage disputes are also ongoing in Bavaria and Hesse/Baden-Württemberg, where further warning strikes are anticipated. In the East, a collective agreement between NGG and the Association of German Bakeries has been in place for a year, providing a 6.76% wage increase over 13 months. Approximately 3,000 employees are reported to benefit from the agreement. Major players in the region, such as Harry-Brot and Lieken, operate across Lüdersdorf (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Brehna, Wittenberg, Osterweddingen (Saxony-Anhalt), Wiedemar (Saxony), and Berlin.
However, the union encountered criticism in North Rhine-Westphalia last year. Employees of the large bakery Lieken in Luenen voiced their dissatisfaction during Dortmund protests, expressing dissatisfaction with NGG's support during negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement and during labor court lawsuits. Allegations of unresponsive union secretaries were denied by the union.
- The ongoing industrial dispute in the German bakery sector, as mirrored in the situation at Lieken in Bönen, is not confined to wage increases alone. TheUnion of Food, Beverage, and Catering Workers (NGG) is also pressing for changes in lifestyle benefits, such as additional free days for members and bonuses for trainees.
- In the realm of finance, the current tussle between the bakery workers and employers might have far-reaching implications, especially in the food-and-drink industry, with the possibility of strikes affecting suppliers to major retailers like Lidl and Kaufland.
