Public Sector Employers, Union Meet to Avert Strike

German public sector employers and the Verdi trade union are meeting this Wednesday in talks aimed at avoiding what could become Germany's biggest public service strike in a decade. Verdi, which represents about 2.8 million fire fighters, garbage collectors and other public sector workers, has said it considers the talks a last chance to avert a strike. The employers -- including the federal, state, and municipal governments -- warned that a strike would make it even more
difficult to reach an agreement. On Monday, the employers, which are struggling with empty coffers and falling tax revenues, rejected an arbitration compromise for a pay increase of three percent in two stages over 18 months.