Verdi criticizes Galeria for “poisoned offer”

The Verdi union criticizes the announcement by Galeria management that it wants to offer employees an adjustment to their remuneration without a collective agreement with Verdi. Verdi federal board member Silke Zimmer says: “The announced offer is poisonous and immoral. We call on management to refrain from making such offers and to return to the negotiating table. The employees at Galeria – unlike the owners – have kept the store running for years. They deserve fair pay without any ifs or buts.” As a result of the termination of the integration collective agreement, Galeria is obliged to negotiate a follow-up agreement with the Verdi union. According to Verdi, Galeria wants to circumvent this by “adjusting the remuneration without a collective agreement”. By accepting the adjustment remuneration to the working conditions changed by the employer, the employees would cancel the aftereffect of the integration collective agreement and thus the legal claim to all previous collectively agreed retail services.

Zimmer emphasizes: “The plan at Galeria is to permanently say goodbye to the industry’s regional wage and collective agreements and, as a result, to have an income level that is well below market wages in the long term – that cannot be done with us.” According to Verdi, employees at Galeria would receive around 30% less salary than retail employees with a collective agreement.