Massive restrictions in Hamburg's childcare

With the beginning of the early shift, employees of day care centers and social institutions in Hamburg went on a all-day warning strike. "Today is the day of social and educational services nationwide," said Verdi department head Hilke Stein on Wednesday morning. People are taking to the streets today for better wages and better working conditions. Parents of daycare children and users of social facilities must therefore be prepared for considerable restrictions. Due to a nationwide warning strike by the Verdi union to employees in social and educational services, individual facilities even remained completely closed on International Women's Day.

With the walkout, the employees reacted to what they saw as a completely inadequate offer from the employers from the second round of negotiations for employees in the public sector at the federal and local levels. After a rally at 9.30 a.m. with Hamburg's new Verdi boss Sandra Goldschmidt on the Gänsemarkt, a demonstration march to the union building was planned.

Employees of the Elbkinder daycare centers, the Ballin Foundation, the ASB daycare centers, the Studierendenwerk, the Hamburger Schulverein and the Asklepios daycare centers have been called to the warning strike. Employees of the social services Funding and Housing, Living with Disability Hamburg, Lebenshilfewerk, the Alida Schmidt Foundation and the Elbe workshops are also to lay down their work.

"With the warning strike in social and educational services, we want to make it clear that the employees are ready to fight for their demand for 10.5 percent, but at least 500 euros more," emphasized Verdi department head Hilke Stein. The employer side has so far offered five percent more money in two steps and one-off payments totaling 2500 euros.