Coalition on the Brink as Verdi Vows Mass Protests Over Job-Security Overhaul
Veröffentlicht: 29.06.2026 um 12:16 Uhr, Redaktion boerse-global.de
A high-stakes meeting of Germany’s coalition committee on Tuesday is set to test the government’s ability to push through sweeping social reforms, with the powerful Verdi union already mobilising for street protests. Tensions have been mounting for weeks, and Verdi’s announcement on Monday sharpens the confrontation just as Berlin prepares to finalise key legislative packages.
The union’s planned demonstrations target what it calls “loosening” of dismissal protection — a core demand of conservative and business-aligned factions within the ruling coalition. Verdi joins a growing chorus of opposition that materialised last Saturday, when some 3,000 demonstrators gathered in Berlin to protest against cuts to health benefits, declining pensions and rising long-term care costs. The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) has scheduled another large rally in Hamburg for 2 July under the slogan “Mit Macht für die Acht” — mobilising to defend the eight-hour workday. Polls indicate that roughly 93 percent of Germans oppose any extension of daily working hours.
The coalition committee is expected to give concrete shape to several reform packages, especially pension policy. A government-appointed commission has proposed raising contribution rates by at least two percentage points and abolishing the “Rente mit 63” early-retirement option. While state-level SPD politicians warn against an exact one-to-one implementation, Union representatives demand a swift end to the penalty-free pension after 45 contribution years. Also under scrutiny is the future of mini-jobs: one proposal would restrict the model to students only, forcing other mini-job holders to pay full pension contributions. The hospitality trade association Dehoga warns that such a change would hit hard, since roughly 1.1 million mini-jobbers work in the sector.
Working-hours rules are another flashpoint. The government has announced a draft law for the tourism sector, due in autumn 2026, that would permit daily shifts of up to 13 hours. It is scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2027, but the Food, Beverages and Catering Union (NGG) has already declared its outright opposition.
Parallel to the political negotiations, Germany’s highest labour court has clarified conditions for mass redundancies. In a decision handed down on 25 June (case number 6 AZR 7/26), the Federal Labour Court ruled that minor numerical errors in a mass-dismissal notification do not automatically invalidate the terminations — as long as the protective purpose of the notification is preserved. The court nonetheless reaffirmed its strict interpretation of the European Mass Dismissal Directive.
The government aims to pass a health-care reform package by 10 July, adding to an already packed legislative agenda. Verdi’s protests underscore the fragile state of the labour market; the recent withdrawal of Rossmann’s logistics plans in Lünen, which costs 1,400 jobs, illustrates the shifting dynamics in employment across the country.
