Over 350 brewery workers engaged in a work stoppage, issuing formal warnings to their employers. - Over 350 employees at a brewery are refusing to work, engaging in a labor dispute
The brewing industry in Saxony is currently experiencing an ongoing strike as a series of warning strikes by brewery workers continues throughout the week of August 19, 2025. The union involved, the Food, Beverages and Catering Union (NGG), is demanding a 7% wage increase, citing that wages have not kept pace with economic conditions and worker expectations.
The union's chief negotiator, Uwe Ledwig, has stated that the workers remain determined to continue striking and that the employers must make concessions to avoid further escalation. So far, two rounds of negotiations have failed to produce an agreement, and the NGG has threatened to extend the strikes for another week if no concessions are made.
The employers, represented by the Saxon Employers' Association for Food and Beverages, have offered a wage increase somewhat higher than 5%, which the union has rejected as insufficient. The employers accuse the NGG of a lack of willingness to negotiate, while the union blames the employers for blocking progress and escalating the conflict.
The strikes have severely impacted delivery capacity, reducing it to nearly zero in some affected breweries, leading to a growing shortage of beer in markets and pubs across Saxony. The breweries involved in the dispute include Sternburg Brewery Leipzig, the Krostitzer Brewery, the Freiberger Brewery, the Radeberger Export Beer Brewery, and the Wernesgrüner Brewery.
The union is also demanding an extra 100 euros for apprentices. The breweries find the union's demands excessive, with a company spokesperson from Radeberger Brewery stating that a demanded wage increase of around seven percent is not only beyond what the market allows, it also threatens jobs instead of securing them.
The wage negotiations for brewery employees in Saxony have resumed, but it remains uncertain whether the negotiations on Thursday will result in an agreement. The union secretary, Jens Loebel, has stated that details of the offer were not initially disclosed. The current status is a stalemate, with the union pressing for a stronger wage increase and the employers holding to their offer above 5%, but below the union's 7% demand.
The significant wage gap between East and West in the industry has been reported, with employees in Saxony earning over 4,000 euros less per year than their colleagues in the West. Saxon SPD leader Henning Homann expressed solidarity with the brewery workers and described the strike as an expression of "deep-seated injustice".
Uwe Ledwig, the eastern regional chairman and lead negotiator for NGG, stated that things are heating up but not in the tank before the strike. The union Nahrung-Genuss-Gaststätten (NGG) finds the employers' first offer unsatisfactory. The breweries are seeking a negotiating outcome that is fair to both sides without endangering economic foundations.
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