FRANKFURT/BONN (dpa-AFX) - In the wage dispute at Postbank, the trade union Verdi is increasing the pressure with renewed warning strikes. Verdi has called on employees at Postbank branches and call centers throughout Germany to strike for two days starting this Wednesday (March 6). "We assume that the majority of branches will remain closed on both days and that there will also be major problems with accessibility on the service hotlines," said Verdi negotiator Jan Duscheck on Wednesday. He criticized that the offer presented so far by the employers' side was very far from a "negotiable compromise corridor".

Verdi is demanding 15.5 percent more money for around 12,000 employees in the Deutsche Bank Group with a Postbank collective agreement, but at least a salary increase of 600 euros. The Deutsche Bank Employees' Association wants 14.5 percent more money for the employees of Postbank, Postbank Branch Sales, PCC Services and BCB. The first warning strikes in the conflict took place in mid-February.

The parties had already reached an agreement on another issue shortly before Christmas: Protection against dismissal, which would have expired at the end of January, was extended. Deutsche Bank pledged to refrain from dismissals for operational reasons for employees covered by collective agreements in its private client bank in Germany until the end of September 2024. The trade unions had put pressure on this issue after the bank announced at the end of October that it would be closing up to 250 of the 550 Postbank branches by mid-2026, including staff cuts./mar/DP/stw