Warning strike at Deutscher Saatveredlung: 450 employees demand more!

Warning strike at Deutscher Saatveredlung: 450 employees demand more!

The employees of Deutsche Saatveredlung AG (DSV) have stopped work again. Today's warning strikes are taking place at several locations, including the headquarters in Lippstadt as well as in Leutewitz, Käbschütztal, Bückwitz, Asendorf and Thüle. These actions, organized by the Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt industrial union (IG BAU), are a sign of the workers' dissatisfaction with the current conditions. The DSV employees are not only demanding a monthly salary increase of 350 euros, but also three additional days of vacation for union members and the establishment of company benefits. The Saxons reports that company management did not respond to these demands and even sent individual letters questioning the right to strike after a previous warning strike.

The background to the strike movement is the continuous struggles of the DSV members since March 2023, which took place including a demonstration in Lippstadt. Deutsche Saatveredlung AG, founded in 1923 and with around 450 employees in Germany (around 780 in total including foreign locations), appears unimpressed by the demands. Despite a profit of 11.1 million euros before taxes and sales of 265 million euros in the 2023/2024 financial year, the DSV management remains silent in its communication policy, which further fuels the discontent of the employees.

Legal basis and right to strike

What does the law say about warning strikes? In fact, strikes in Germany are not only a legitimate means of fighting for collective agreements, they are anchored in the Basic Law (Article 9 Paragraph 3) and protect workers' freedom of association. Loud DGB legal protection It is legally permissible to take part in warning strikes, even if no final negotiations or strike votes have taken place beforehand. These strikes demonstrate the willingness of workers to put pressure on their employers.

The strikers are exempt from their contractual obligations during the strike. Employers are not allowed to deduct hours from the working time account, and the use of temporary workers in companies on strike is also not permitted. The employees receive support in their legality through the DGB legal protection, which makes it clear that employees may not be terminated or warned because of their participation in strikes.

Consequences for employers

Strikes do not remain without impact on employers. As the Herfurtner law firm explained in detail, employers usually have to contend with production downtimes and a potential loss of trust in their customers and partners. It is important to prepare for such situations early on and develop emergency plans. In the future, DSV could be forced to adapt its negotiating strategies in order not to be exposed to further strike action.

So the DSV has a rocky road ahead of it. While the workers are taking to the streets to demand their demands, management has so far shown little to be forthcoming. The ongoing warning strikes, if they take place with a large number of participants, could put decisive pressure on the DSV. In this tense situation, it is to be hoped that a constructive dialogue will emerge between the parties in order to find a sustainable solution.