Mainz/Saarbrücken (dpa/lrs) – Around 3,100 employees in social and educational services in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland left their work on Wednesday. They followed a nationwide warning strike called by the Verdi union. A Verdi spokeswoman said: “We are satisfied with the participation, it was definitely a successful day.”
In Rhineland-Palatinate, educators in Koblenz, Ingelheim, Mainz, Ludwigshafen and Kaiserslautern, among others, laid down their jobs. In Ludwigshafen, for example, all 36 city daycare centers remained closed. In Mainz, most daycare centers remained closed at 53, only nine opened, six of them with limited opening hours. There were demonstrations in several cities, according to the police, around 450 people took to the streets in Mainz and just over 500 in Ludwigshafen.
In the Trier region and in Saarland, a total of 29 towns and communities with around 130 facilities were affected by the strike, including more than 30 day-care centers and all-day schools in Saarbrücken alone. According to Verdi, over 900 participants were counted at a demonstration in Saarbrücken.
The reason for the nationwide strike and day of action was the collective bargaining dispute with the Association of Municipal Employers’ Associations (VKA), in which the rounds in February and March were unsuccessful. Verdi calls for relief and improvement of working conditions for employees in social and educational services. According to Verdi, the collective agreement affects around 40,000 employees and 8,000 social workers in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. Negotiations are scheduled to continue in Potsdam on May 16 and 17.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220504-99-156843/3
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