Thursday 9, March
On Thursday, there were 364 new Covid-19 infections reported in Berlin. The seven-day incidence currently stands at 46.6 cases per 100,000 people.
Are Berlin’s postal workers about to go on an “unlimited” strike?
Today, Berlin’s postal workers will take a vote on whether to accept their company’s last wage offer or go on an “unlimited” strike, which could cause major disruptions to the postal system in the city.
The last time an unlimited strike was called in 2015, postal workers downed tools for four weeks
The Verdi union is advocating for their members to demand a wage increase of 15 percent with a contract term of 12 months, rather than the 9.9 percent increase and 24 month contract term currently on offer. In order for the strike to take place, 75 percent of the Swiss Post employees would need to vote to reject the offer.
Speaking to the media, Verdi representatives have sounded confident that strike action will go ahead. The last time an unlimited strike was called in 2015, postal workers downed tools for four weeks, leaving the post office to incur costs of around 100 million euros. This action would be a significantly greater disruption than the recent “warning strikes” in January and February, which saw millions of letters and parcels go undelivered.
