ESSEN/BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Before the fourth round of negotiations in the wage dispute at Postbank, the trade unions Verdi and the Deutsche Bank Employees' Association (DBV) are increasing the pressure with renewed warning strikes. From Tuesday up to and including Wednesday, employees in the service units (back office) and call centers throughout Germany are to strike, as Verdi announced on Monday. "Despite weeks of negotiations, the employer is still not prepared to make any substantial concessions to Postbank employees," said Jan Duscheck, head of negotiations.

Just last week, Verdi and DBV had called for warning strikes in areas where important banking transactions are processed. The DBV called on employees of the Deutsche Bank subsidiary PCC Services to strike at the Berlin and Essen locations from Tuesday to Thursday inclusive.

PCC Services is a service provider for the Deutsche Bank Group, including Postbank. It plays an important role in working through the problems in connection with an IT changeover at Postbank. Last year, there were an increasing number of complaints from customers who were temporarily unable to access their accounts or complained about delays in mortgage lending. According to Deutsche Bank, it had cleared the backlog of customer-critical processes by the end of March.

Verdi wants to win 15.5 percent more money for around 12,000 employees in the Deutsche Bank Group with a Postbank collective agreement, but at least a salary increase of 600 euros. DBV is demanding 14.5 percent more money for a period of 12 months and the introduction of a full company pension scheme for employees. "With the warning strike, we are making it clear to the employers that only an appropriately high salary offer is negotiable on April 16," the DBV announced.

Deutsche Bank plans to close up to 250 of its 550 Postbank branches by mid-2026, including staff cuts./evy/DP/ngu