Retail Giants Bank €83 Billion as ver.di Steps Up Strike Pressure Ahead of June Talks
05.06.2026 - 01:54:04 | boerse-global.de
Germany's retail and wholesale sectors generated combined profits of nearly €83 billion in 2025, according to union ver.di – a figure it says underlines why employers must agree to higher wage demands. With negotiations stalled, the union called a major strike day for June 4, 2026, targeting multiple states and promising further escalation unless a better offer emerges.
Around 200 workers gathered at a central rally in Kiel on Thursday, while roughly 100 employees struck at distribution centres in Saxony. The walkouts are set to continue through June 5, with further protests planned in Berlin, Erfurt, Bochum and Saarbrücken. The action primarily disrupts logistics operations at large retail chains. In North Rhine-Westphalia, Edeka warehouses in Oberhausen, Hamm and Meckenheim have been hit by strikes since the start of the week.
This latest wave follows a nationwide action day the previous week. As early as mid-May, more than 5,000 staff at 200 locations – including Kaufland, Douglas, H&M and Ikea – had already walked off the job.
At the heart of the dispute are two issues: the size of the wage increase and the length of the new collective agreement. Ver.di is demanding seven percent more pay, with a minimum monthly raise of €225, over a term of twelve months. In North Rhine-Westphalia, for the wholesale sector, the union is asking for at least €250 more per month.
Employers have put forward regionally varied proposals, all with a 24-month duration. In Schleswig-Holstein, North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg, they offer a two percent rise from November 2026, followed by an additional 1.5 percent in August 2027. In wholesale, one offer stands at 3.4 percent across two years.
Union board member Silke Zimmer criticised the proposals as inadequate. "Employers finally need to recognise what staff achieve every day," she said. Chief negotiator Bert Stach echoed the frustration: "The offers are devastating for workers' financial prospects."
The next rounds of regional talks are tightly scheduled: June 8 for retail in Baden-Württemberg, June 11 for retail in North Rhine-Westphalia, June 12 for wholesale in Lower Saxony, June 18 for wholesale in North Rhine-Westphalia, and June 30 for wholesale in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, taking place in Dresden. Ver.di has warned it will expand walkouts if these negotiations fail to yield movement from the employer side.
