FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Accompanied by a protest action, the fourth round of negotiations in the wage dispute at Postbank began on Tuesday. According to the trade union Verdi, around 20 Postbank employees demonstrated in front of the negotiating venue in Frankfurt in support of their demands. "The negotiations have been dragging on for weeks. It is high time that the employers take a big step towards the employees to finally end this impasse," demanded Verdi negotiator Jan Duscheck.

Verdi wants to win a 15.5 percent pay rise for around 12,000 employees in the Deutsche Bank Group with a Postbank collective agreement, but at least a 600 euro increase in monthly salaries. The union is also calling for the protection against dismissal to be extended until the end of 2028. Deutsche Bank plans to close up to 250 of the 550 Postbank branches by mid-2026, including staff cuts.

The Deutsche Bank Employees' Association (DBV) is demanding a 14.5 percent pay rise over a 12-month period and the introduction of a full company pension scheme for employees. Before the fourth round, the unions had increased the pressure and repeatedly called for warning strikes./mar/DP/mis