FILE PHOTO: A view of an empty Lippestrasse city railway station as German trade union Verdi strikes for a wage rise in the public sector, in Dortmund, Germany March 3, 2023. REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler/File Photo
BERLIN (Reuters) - A first round of wage talks for more than 2.5 million public sector employees in Germany kicked off outside Berlin on Friday.
Trade union Verdi and the DBB civil service association are asking for an 8% pay increase, with a rise of 350 euros ($364) per month at minimum - a demand the interior ministry, which represents the employers' side, has called "very high."
