"Final preparations are underway in the districts in NRW for the first strike day on 8 March 2022 for the collective bargaining round of municipal employees in day-care centres, social services, assistance for the disabled and all-day schools," Verdi says. In addition to demonstrations and rallies in various cities, different activities and discussion events are planned. For example, strikers in Münster want to roll out a red carpet and highlight features of their occupational field, while a silent protest is planned in Dortmund.

There is also agreement from those who will be affected by the strike: the families. "What we can absolutely support, apart from the pay demands, is the demand for more support and making the profession more attractive," Daniela Heimann from the state parents' council of day-care centres in NRW told our editorial team. More staff, more time off for management tasks or necessary documentation: "That would benefit us one-to-one. The care will be better and there will be fewer absences. At the moment, there is really at least one person missing in every facility."

That is why there is solidarity among parents. But there are, of course, also angry reactions about what is being expected of the families. "There are already an insane number of childcare absences due to the Omicron variant alone," says Heimann. "We have already been quite badly battered, and many parents have noticed."

The SPD's family policy spokesperson, Dennis Maelzer, sees Verdi's demands in the light of problems he also sees coming for politicians. "If we do not succeed in keeping the profession attractive, we will encounter massive problems in fulfilling the legal requirement in day-care centres and all-day care," he predicts.

He also takes up the issue of gender equality initiated by Verdi. The union did not choose International Women's Day as the date for its strike for no reason. Professions in which the majority of workers are women still receive less recognition and are not as well paid as those in which the majority of workers are men.

"The fact that the female-dominated teaching professions still lag behind the so-called male professions in terms of appreciation must change. This includes opportunities for advancement in the system and the targeted recruitment of men, for the benefit of the children and for greater recognition of the profession," says Maelzer.

Original article: Sina Zehrfeld

Translation: Jean Lennox