- Title: GERMANY: PUBLIC SECTOR STRIKES CONTINUE
- Date: 21st May 1996
- Summary: BONN AND KASEL, GERMANY (MAY 21, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) BONN 1. TV CROWD OF STRIKERS WITH BANNERS AT RALLY 0.06 2. LV STRIKERS LISTENING TO RALLY, APPLAUDING 0.11 3. LV PEOPLE AT RALLY (2 SHOTS) 0.20 4. SV MEN WEARING STRIKE POSTERS 0.29 5. PAN STRIKERS AT RALLY 0.34 KASSEL 6. LV EXT VOLKSWAGEN PLANT, WORKERS STANDING LISTENING TO SPEAKER 0.46 7. LV THOUSANDS OF VW WORKERS WALKING OUT OF GATES CARRYING STRIKE BANNERS 0.53 8. LV/SV THOUSANDS OF WORKERS OUTSIDE PLANT/ PLACARD/ WORKERS LISTENING TO SPEAKER (7 SHOTS) 1.34 9. SV WORKERS FILING BACK INTO PLANT 1.46 BONN 10.LV/SV STRIKING MEDICAL WORKERS OUTSIDE HOSPTIAL/ UNION PLACARDS (7 SHOTS) 2.20 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 5th June 1996 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BONN AND KASSEL, GERMANY
- City:
- Country: Germany
- Reuters ID: LVAAL3PH7UCS0YOTV3MFSJXXBBSD
- Story Text: INTRO: Cities in Germany have been hit by strikes for the second day. Public sector workers are demanding a 4.5 per cent pay claim and are protesting against government plans to impose a wage freeze as part of a drive to cut public spending. But Chancellor Helmut Kohl is standing firm in the face of the unions' demands.
Tens of thousands of workers from the main public sector union, OeTV, heeded the strike call in several cities throughout Germany.
In Bonn, public sector workers gathered for a protest rally in the city-centre. Garbage collection workers and hospital staff in the city walked off the job.
Germany's largest union, IG Metall also called on thousands of workers to protest against the government's austerity plan.
IG Metall's industrial action targeted 35 industrial plants including luxury carmaker BMW, electronics giant Siemens and carmaker Volkswagen.
The unions have accused Kohl of using sluggish economic growth and high unemployment as a pretext to abandon Germany's social market economy, based on consensus, and replace it with a harsher version of capitalism with less social protection.
The latest wave of walkouts was designed to put pressure on public sector employers ahead of their next round of negotiations with the unions on Wednesday. The OeTV also upped the stakes by saying this week's talks were make-or-break.
The employers have yet to make a formal counter-offer tounions' demands. One of their main negotiators said they would present a proposal for the next batch of talks but cautioned that there was little room for manoeuvre.
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