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Here are the parts of Germany that will be hit by public service strikes this week

The Local Germany
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Here are the parts of Germany that will be hit by public service strikes this week
Photo: DPA

The public services union Ver.di has announced rolling strikes across the country over the coming days as it ramps up pressure for a six percent pay rise. Strikes are to hit public transport, rubbish collection, kindergartens and hospitals.

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Ver.di, which represents 2.3 million public employees, is demanding a six percent pay increase for public service workers from state and local governments, with a minimum increase of €200 per month.

But employers have failed to make an offer despite two rounds of talks. The union has said that, at a time when German public coffers are in the black like never before, public servants deserve a greater reward for their labour.

SEE ALSO: Public sector workers in Germany to strike for more pay 'before Easter'

“There numbers prove that there is enough money there, so it’s time for our members to get a slice of the cake," said Sieglinde Frieß, a spokesperson for Ver.di in Hamburg. "They do an amazing job, as long as the state refuses to reward this, we will continue to put pressure on them on the streets."

The next round of negotiations is to take place in Potsdam on April 15th.

Here is an overview of which services are being hit across the country.

NRW

Germany's most populous state is to be hit particularly severly by the wage dispute.

In Cologne, a city of more than a million people, inner city transport will come to an almost complete stop on Wednesday. Some buses run by subcontracted companies may still run in the city on the Rhine.

There will also be strikes in Kindergartens, in hospitals and on rubbish collection in Cologne on Wednesday.

Inhabitants of smaller cities in the Ruhr region will also have to make contingency plans. In Duisburg and Essen there will be no public transport running n Tuesday morning, the Rheinische Post reports.

In Essen, kitas will be closed and rubbish will be left in bins.

Bavaria

Towns across Bavaria will be hit be strikes on Tuesday.

“Strikes in Bavaria will be all-encompassing,” a spokesman for the union in the southern state said on Monday.

In the south, Munich and Augsburg will be be impacted, while Würzburg and Aschaffenburg are just two of the cities in the north of the vast state which will be hit.

Ver.di Bavaria has called for strikes in public administration, Sparkassen banks, rubbish collection, some hospitals and Kindergartens. Emergency rooms in the hospitals will still be in running as usual.

Hamburg

The port city will be spared strikes on its public transport this week. But Ver.di has called on 25,000 public service workers to strike on Wednesday. Affected will be rubbish collection, kindergartens, the Hamburg Port Authority and the customs authority.

Baden-Württemberg

State capital Stuttgart will be impacted by the strikes for the first three days of the week.

Ver.di has announced strikes in Stuttgart’s Kindergartens between Monday and Wednesday, with different parts of the city being hit on each day.

On Monday, kitas and hospitals in Thübingen will be affected by strikes.

Hesse

Ver.di has announced public services trikes for Darmstadt and Rüsselheim on Thursday. But they have not yet provided information on which services will be hit.

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