Telekom Employees Demand Significant Salary Increase in Collective Bargaining Dispute

In the dispute over a new collective bargaining agreement, employees of Deutsche Telekom from the eastern German states and Berlin have substantiated their demands for a noticeably increased salary. During the fourth round of negotiations, about 4,500 Telekom employees gathered for a protest in Potsdam on Monday to emphasize their concerns. The services trade union Verdi also called for warning strikes, which could affect customer service nationwide. As a result, appointments with service technicians might be postponed, or callers might experience longer waiting times for the service hotline, according to a company spokesperson. The parties entered the negotiations with significantly different expectations: While Verdi is aiming for a substantial increase of 12 percent over a duration of 12 months, Telekom proposes a model that extends over 27 months. The telecommunications provider's offer includes a tax-free inflation compensation bonus of 2,000 euros for the current year, as well as a planned salary increase of 4.2 percent beginning in early 2025. In October 2025, the salary is set to rise by another 150 euros gross per month, which, depending on the salary group, equates to an increase of up to 4.2 percent. This would affect up to 70,000 tariff employees. Despite the gap in positions, Telekom remained confident, with a company spokesperson describing the offer as "very good." On the other hand, Pascal Röckert, Verdi's strike leader, stressed the need for significant concessions to avoid a protracted conflict. The union reported that about 13,000 employees had already participated in nationwide warning strikes the previous week, leading to substantial service delays, the cancellation of technician appointments, and closures of some T-Shops.