Germany has been rocked by its biggest strikes in 30 years as the cost of living explodes.
German nurses and other health workers carried out “warning strikes” at the end of March as part of a pay campaign supported throughout the public sector.
Hospitals, psychiatric clinics, aged care facilities and emergency services were affected nationwide.
The strike came after health workers rejected an employer offer of a 3 per cent pay rise this year and a 2 per cent increase next year with a 2500-euro bonus spread over the two years.
Inflation in Germany is currently running at nearly 9 per cent. Ver.di, the public sector union that covers health workers is calling for a 10.5 per cent pay rise.
The German government has been making significant cuts to health spending during an economic crisis while at the same time pledging to increase military spending by more than 100 billion euros.
The health workers’ strike coincided with industrial action by 2.5 million workers in the service sector and by 230,000 railway workers.
It was the largest strike in Germany since 1992.
“Employees are fed up with being taken for a ride in collective bargaining,” Ver.di President Frank Werneke told Le Monde.
Since the start of the year the union has added 70,000 new members.
“This is the strongest growth we have seen in more than 20 years,” said Werneke.
‘Employees are fed up with being taken for a ride in collective bargaining.’
— Ver.di President Frank Werneke