BERLIN, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Around 12,000 teachers and education workers joined a nationwide strike for higher pay on Thursday, affecting universities, research institutions, and state schools in several major cities.
The walkout followed a call by the German Education Union (GEW), which said that school teachers, university lecturers and other education staff protested in five major cities. The demonstrations aimed to seek a seven percent wage increase for teachers and other education workers employed by Germany's federal states, representing a minimum rise of 300 euros (about 358 U.S. dollars) a month.
According to GEW, a total of 3,500 people took to the streets in Berlin, 3,000 protesters rallied in Leipzig, and around 2,500 people demonstrated in Hamburg.
German public broadcaster RBB reported that the strike in Berlin disrupted municipal childcare services. 14 of 279 daycare centers run by five city-owned operators were fully closed, while 130 maintained regular operations. The remaining facilities were partially affected. On Wednesday, universities in Berlin and Brandenburg were already affected by strikes.
The government has set the third round of wage talks for Feb. 11-13, but financial ministers have rejected the unions' demands as excessive. Further strike action is expected ahead of the talks. (1 euro = 1.19 U.S. dollar)
