Wednesday, April 11, 2007

German Union Stages Brief Warning Strikes Over Deutsche Telekom Restructuring Plan

A major German labor union staged a first round of brief walkouts on Wednesday in protest at plans by Deutsche Telekom AG that envision longer hours and lower wages for thousands of workers.

The ver.di service workers' union called some 1,000 employees at six Deutsche Telekom sites out on brief "warning strikes." The union said call-center and technical services workers walked out for one shift.

Deutsche Telekom wants to transfer up to 50,000 staffers to a new service unit, dubbed T-Service, in a move that allow the company to amend the employees' labor contracts to secure more hours and lower pay.

"The employees are fighting so that Telekom agrees with ver.di on contractual protection in the planned transfer," the union's chief negotiator, Lothar Schroeder, said ahead of a round of talks with the company planned for Thursday.

Such warning strikes are a common tactic in German negotiations, aimed at demonstrating union resolve without seriously curtailing production.

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