On 23 October 2026, the German united services trade union ver.di called on employees in the private banking sector to stage nationwide warning strikes (Warnstreiks). The industrial action is taking place ahead of the second round of collective bargaining scheduled for 2 November 2026 in Frankfurt am Main.
According to the union, initial strike actions have already taken place in northern Germany in recent days, including at the Sparkasse in Bremen as well as at branches of Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank. Starting next week, staggered warning strikes will be held across various regions and financial institutions, culminating in a central demonstration in Frankfurt am Main on the day of the negotiations on 2 November.
Background of the Collective Bargaining Dispute
Lead negotiator and ver.di federal executive board member Jan Duschek criticized the employers’ approach, noting that the union had deliberately given the banks one month since the start of talks in early October to present a negotiable offer. According to Duschek, the employers have not submitted an offer so far and have instead questioned the employees’ demands.
The union points out that private banks in Germany are recording strong profits and distributing dividends to shareholders while workloads for bank staff continue to increase. Duschek stated that fewer employees are handling a growing volume of work while job cuts are being announced at several institutions.
Key Demands for 150,000 Bank Employees
The collective bargaining round covers approximately 150,000 employees at private banks in Germany. The union’s package of demands includes:
- a 6% salary increase;
- an additional 300 euros per month for trainees and junior staff (Nachwuchskräfte);
- a collective agreement term of 12 months;
- binding rules on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and stronger job security guarantees (Beschäftigungssicherung);
- preferential provisions for union members and improved support for junior staff preparing for professional examinations.
A central issue in the negotiations is the regulation of technological change in the banking sector. According to Jan Duschek, employees are not opposed to digitalization or artificial intelligence, but seek binding collective rules that protect staff from redundancies and govern retraining and changes to job profiles.
Information Sources
- Official press release by ver.di (ver.di ruft bundesweit zu Warnstreiks bei den privaten Banken auf), published on 23 October 2026.