Verdi, the second-largest union in Germany with 1.9 million members, has called on workers at Deutsche Bank subsidiary DB Direkt to strike over wages.

On Tuesday, the union called for an all-day strike for the following day at two locations in Berlin and Essen.

It said that the DB subsidiary employs around 600 people in 24/7 call centre operations, and that many employees “only earn between €2,400 and €2,600 per month”.

The union has presented the bank with a package of demands that includes “significant salary increases” with the aim to “narrow the large gap in the salary structure compared to other employee groups in the Deutsche Bank Group.” It has called for the bank to increase its minimum hourly wage from €12.05 to €17.50, increase other salary levels by the same percentage and raise training allowances to an equivalent level as the private banking industry.

Jan Duscheck, head of the banking sector at Verdi, said: “The employers left the first round of negotiations without an offer. This is an affront to the employees, who suffer particularly from the persistently high prices due to low wages. That’s why they’re now making their voices heard and stopping work.”

The next negotiation dates are set for 22 November and 14 December.

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