Tens of thousands of teachers walked off the job and on to the streets of major German cities on Tuesday, the start of a two-day strike ahead of negotiations over salary and working conditions later this week.
Some 10,000 teachers stayed away from work in Berlin alone, while another 10,000 went on strike in the city of Dusseldorf and 7,000 protested in the southern state of Bavaria.
The workers want a 6-per-cent pay rise that amounts to at least 200 extra euros (227 dollars) a month and better health-care benefits.
Public workers are also worried about competition from private providers.
Negotiators are “completely divergent” on the main issues in the labour dispute, a key union head said in an interview with a German broadcaster.
“We can’t rule anything out after the last two rounds of talks as teachers, day-care staff and social workers prepared for a two-day nationwide strike to make their case amid the negotiations.’’
Matthias Kollatz, the Finance Senator of the city-state of Berlin, is leading the talks for the government’s side.
He told radio broadcaster Deutschlandfunk that he is seeking a package that is “balanced.”
He noted that German states are in better financial health than in the past.
But he said that the priority could not just be better pay for existing workers, but also finding funds so that new staff could be hired and investments made.
He said he was optimistic that the two sides could reach an agreement at talks set for the weekend.
“That is definitely the goal as I enter these talks and I’m an optimist, so I’m going to say ‘Yes, a deal is possible.’”
Teachers already went on strike two weeks ago, but just for a day, in an effort to make the public aware of their demands and to improve their position in the talks.