The employees of the waste disposal and commercial companies as well as the municipal utilities and city administration in Mainz stopped work on Friday. Around 400 people were involved in the disposal operation alone, said Verdi spokesman Fabian Gödeke on Friday morning. "The mood is good, but heated up because the price increases are of course a burden on people," he continued. The warning strikes are expected to last all day. The disposal companies should also be on strike on Saturday. An exception to this, however, is the children's carnival in Mainz on Saturday, which employees of the waste disposal companies help to secure.

The Verdi union is demanding 10.5 percent more money for the 2.5 million federal and local employees nationwide, but at least 500 euros. Apprentices should get 200 euros more. In Hesse, 120,000 employees would benefit from this. Collective bargaining will continue in Potsdam on February 22nd and 23rd.

"The demands of the employees are absolutely appropriate against the background of the high inflation in 2022 and foreseeable also in 2023," said the managing director of the Verdi district in Frankfurt, Alexander Klein. "A strong wage increase, especially for the lower wage groups, is now necessary so that our members can still live reasonably well here in the Rhine-Main area."