Union Demands AI Upskilling Rights as Postbank Wage Talks Stall, Sparking Strikes
Published on 06/25/2026 at 05:14 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
Verdi, Germany’s largest services union, is wagering that a novel demand for employer-funded artificial-intelligence training will help tip the scales in a pay dispute affecting roughly 9,000 Postbank employees. The union called a full-day warning strike on Thursday at BHW, a Postbank subsidiary based in Hameln, after a third round of negotiations in mid-June collapsed without a single offer from management.
The walkout began with a central rally outside BHW’s headquarters. Verdi accused the employer side of refusing to bargain in good faith. “No proposal was tabled,” a union spokesperson said, declaring the talks deadlocked.
Wage growth sits at the core of the dispute: Verdi is demanding an 8 percent salary increase, with a floor of 300 euros extra per month. Apprentices would see 200 euros more monthly. But what sets this round apart is a clause targeting workplace automation. The union insists on a contractual right for employees to access qualification measures for using artificial intelligence within the bank — a first for the sector.
Ballot and Berlin Meeting
Parallel to the walkouts, Verdi opened a strike ballot on June 17. Members have until July 3 to vote on whether to authorize indefinite strikes. The threshold for a yes vote is 75 percent of those eligible. Despite the escalating pressure, a fourth round of talks is scheduled for June 30 in Berlin, leaving a narrow window for a possible breakthrough before the ballot closes.
Separate Action Hits Kaufland
The industrial action is not confined to banking. On the same Thursday, Verdi orchestrated walkouts at more than 100 Kaufland supermarkets nationwide. The union is pressing for a 7 percent wage increase over 12 months. The employer side has counter-offered with 2 percent from November 2026 plus a further 1.5 percent from August 2027, both under a 24-month contract — a timeline Verdi has rejected as insufficient. Next bargaining rounds for Kaufland are set for June 26 across several German states.
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