http://cnnphotos.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/24/before-she-was-gaga-the-unseen-photos/
Unions call more public sector staff to strike
Published: 6 Mar 12 17:28 CET
Over 7,000 public service workers took part in a second day of strikes in Germany on Tuesday. The sector is embroiled in a fight for higher wages.
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Public service union Verdi has been systematically mobilising employees in the sector to strike – the most disruptive of which so far were the repeated walkouts at Frankfurt airport.
On Wednesday, Verdi will summon workers in North Rhine-Westphalia to strike.
Verdi, Germany’s biggest public service union, is calling for a 6.5 percent pay rise for the two million people employed in the sector - or at least a raise of €200 per year.
Union head Frank Bsirske believes that the rate of pay in the public service sector does not match that of the private sector, and that the gap is widening. He called the difference “fatal for businesses and the attractiveness of a job in public service.”