Action and warning strike day for German orchestras
Around 100 German state and municipal orchestras are going on strike simultaneously and nationwide today (September 30). They are protesting against the refusal to pay collectively agreed wage increases since 2010.
After the Federal Labor Court ruled that state and municipal orchestras no longer have an enforceable legal claim to public sector wage increases (Schweizer Musikzeitung reported), the tone between the social partners is becoming more heated.
According to a press release from the German Orchestra Association (DOV), the orchestras are "simultaneously demanding the preservation of Germany's unique orchestral culture". This is the largest such protest action in Germany since the 1950s, in which the Berlin Philharmonic and other renowned top orchestras are also involved.
On October 1, 2013, collective bargaining talks will begin in Berlin between the DOV and the German Stage Association on how the wage settlements in the public sector will be applied retroactively to state and municipal orchestras since 2010.
