University employees and students in Germany were set to protest on Monday to demand better pay, according to the Verdi trade union, writes German news agency DPA.
The motto of the university action day is “Put an end to precarious science,” according to the union.
Organizers have planned events in more than 50 cities, including Hamburg, Hanover, Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Leipzig and Berlin. In some cases, there will be all-day warning strikes.
The day of protest has been called by an alliance of trade unions, action groups, student representatives and higher education organizations.
According to Verdi, the aim of the current round of collective bargaining for state employees is to secure significant salary increases for university employees and a nationwide collective agreement for auxiliary staff and tutors.
In the wage negotiations for the public sector of Germany’s federal states, which have been in progress since the end of October, the unions are demanding 10.5% more, with a minimum raise of €500 ($456 dollars) more per month.
The employers’ side had rejected the demands as unaffordable. The unions want to keep up the pressure with warning strikes until the third round of negotiations in December.
