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The Berlin branch of the Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft(GEW), one of EI’s national affiliates, organised a hugely successful industrial action on 4-5 December. More than 2,400 teachers and about 150 pupils participated in the strike, demanding improved living and working conditions for education staff.

They used the slogan “We go around in circles” to describe the GEW’s current negotiations with Berlin’s Finance Senator, Ulrich Nussbaum.

“Mr Nussbaum is again responsible for over the loss of 10,000 lesson hours,” said Doreen Siebernik, chairman of the GEW Berlin branch, at the strike rally. “We appreciate the students and parents’ solidarity. Neither the wet cold December weather, nor the freezing December temperatures, have prevented teachers from fighting for their legitimate demands.”

Collective agreement rejected

The industrial action on 4 December is the 16th strike in the last 12 months, after the GEW-Berlin had invited the Berlin Senate to engage in negotiations for collective salary legislation and age-appropriate working conditions on 29 November 2012. However, the Senate rejected a collective agreement at Lander(region) level, although the Berlin Labour Court had confirmed in April that the GEW’s demands were lawful and that the Senate is a negotiating partner for Berlin’s teachers.

On both strike days earlier this month, 2,400 contract teachers were centrally involved. At least 400 schools went on strike. At the closing rally on 5 December, it appeared once again that, without the Berlin strike, no negotiations offer would have been made by employers to GEW.

At the same time, Andreas Gehrke, a member of GEW’s federal executive board, stressed: “We are starting to walk a very long path and it is clear that there can be no legislation without a solution for Berlin.”

At its 11 November meeting, the Executive Board of GEW Berlin called on all contract education staff to participate in a warning strike. This was aimed at starting negotiations with the Berlin Senate, with the following demands:

• Agreed classification schemes for contract education staff, which would eliminate the income gap between contract and tenured education staff.

• Agreed measures on age-appropriate working conditions, ensuring good health for education staff until retirement.

Background

On 25 October, the GEW Federal Commission on Tariffs ( Bundestarifkommission-BTK) affirmed that state governments responsible for education staff are collective bargaining partners.

It also said it was willing to accept the offer to discuss proposals by the Tariff Community of German Länder ( Tarifgemeinschaft deutscher Länder-TdL) and developed clear priorities towards it. However, to date, the TdL has not made any offer and, consequently, there can be no negotiations.

Because of meaningless negotiation offers and the further refusal to enter into negotiations in Berlin, there is no end in sight to the labour dispute. Contract education staff have learned from their experience in the last seven years that a classification scheme will not be reached without labour disputes.

Video about the Berlin’s strike (in German):

ETUCE: Social dialogue necessary

“Nobody better than teachers and education staff know how to achieve quality education,” said, Martin Romer, the Director of EI’s European regional office, the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE). “We urge Berlin’s public authorities to engage in social dialogue with organisations representing those employed in education.”