Christmas market in Bremen: Employees fight for social security!

Christmas market in Bremen: Employees fight for social security!

In Bremen, the Christmas market, which opened a few days ago, conjures up a festive atmosphere, but behind the scenes there is a lot of excitement. Employees in the public service and social sectors are hoping for some light in the run-up to Christmas, despite major challenges. But the Bremen citizens are planning savings that will put a considerable strain on the situation of these employees ver.di reported.

The collective bargaining round between the states has not yet brought any progress. Public employers are disappointing employees and frustration levels are rising. A first round of negotiations on December 3, 2025 did not produce any results, and already on December 4 there were clashes between strikers and the Bremen State Councilor for Finance, Martin Hagen. The mood among the employees is tense; many employees feel overworked while sick leave rates are skyrocketing.

Criticism of the cuts

These savings have dramatic consequences. The first providers of social institutions are unable to pay out the annual special payment on time. This particularly affects people in psychological crises, who often have to wait up to a year for therapy. Kerstin Bringmann from ver.di warns of the serious impact of the cuts on children, families and professionals, and emphasizes the urgency of reliable financing to ensure the stability of the social infrastructure in Bremen.

The employees are calling on politicians to reverse the planned and already implemented cuts. These challenges are compounded by the overload of teams in social institutions. Therefore, larger actions are planned for December 10, 2025 to draw attention to the grievances. Markus Westermann, managing director of ver.di, emphasizes the value of work in the social sector and calls for a rethink on the part of politicians.

Demands of the ver.di union

As part of collective bargaining for over 2.5 million federal and local employees, ver.di is demanding a volume of 8% or at least 350 euros more per month. Surcharges for particularly stressful activities should also be increased. In addition, trainees and interns should receive a bonus of 200 euros per month. These are just some of the demands that the union is making in order to noticeably improve working conditions.

A flexible working time model through the introduction of a “my time account”, in which employees can decide whether overtime is paid out or booked into a time account, is intended to reduce work intensification. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser expects difficult negotiations, but the need for a fair balance is clear. The pressure on employers is increasing: Ver.di could quickly call for strikes if nothing concrete is offered in the next rounds.

Bremen is facing enormous challenges. The high burden on employees cannot be overlooked, and many municipalities are on the verge of being able to act. Public sector personnel have grown in recent years, but without income increases, dbb negotiator Volker Geyer warns of a drastic staff shortage.

The coming weeks will be crucial, both for employees in the social and public services as well as for the political landscape in Bremen. The voices of workers must be heard and a rethink is urgently needed to secure the social structures in the city.