Workers at Dr. Oetker in Germany have initiated a warning strike in response to union demands for increased wages from the multinational corporation.
On 24 June, the NGG union reported that over 200 employees began a “warning strike” at Dr. Oetker’s corporate headquarters in Bielefeld, as well as a production facility in Oerlinghausen. The strike is projected to last for nine hours.
The NGG union is advocating for a wage increase of €280 ($325) for employees, accusing Dr. Oetker’s management of putting staff wages into “deep-freeze mode” and stalling negotiations.
A spokesperson for Dr. Oetker stated: “Dr. Oetker is happy to discuss its position in exchange with the collective bargaining committee and the NGG trade union.”
“However, this requires the willingness of both sides to start the talks in a solution-oriented manner,” the spokesperson added.
In addition, they noted that NGG’s demands at Dr. Oetker locations “do not constitute a basis for constructive collective bargaining.” Nevertheless, Dr. Oetker aims for an “appropriate agreement.”
Management and the NGG union are scheduled to meet for a second round of wage negotiations on 2 July.
NGG negotiator Mohamed Boudih expressed: “Oetker has not submitted a single offer. The company is thus switching to deep-freeze mode: it is putting wages on hold.”
Boudih further alleged that it took “weeks for the management to even move to the negotiating table,” and that the “billion-dollar company is playing poker with the idea of freezing wages.”
“If Oetker refuses to talk constructively about wage developments in the company during the second round of negotiations, then NGG will increase pressure on the group headquarters with the employees,” Boudih stated. “Further and more massive warning strikes will follow.”
