Unions in Germany have decided to carry out a series of warning strikes in the public sector this week after a round of wage negotiations ended in failure.
Unions are seeking a five percent pay rise for some 2 million public sector workers, for whom the financial crisis has meant a severe loss of purchasing power.
"We've called on our members to take a stand," said Jan Jurczyk, a spokesman from PSI affiliate Verdi.
The public sector held a major role in tackling the crisis and considers that the requested increase is further justified by the amounts German taxpayers have been asked to pay for saving public and private banks. PSI has sent a letter of solidarity to Verdi (see below).
The wage negotiations will reconvene on 10 February.
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