Ditsch Bakery Workers Strike Over Wage Disparities
The NGG food and catering union has initiated a 40-hour strike at the Ditsch bakery in Oranienbaum. This action aims to address wage gaps between East and West German employees in the food industry.
Employees at the Ditsch bakery in Oranienbaum, Germany, have participated in a 40-hour warning strike. The Food, Beverage, and Catering Union (NGG) organized the strike to address wage disparities between East and West German workers within the food industry.
The strike, which began on Friday and concluded Saturday morning, involved maintaining only minimal operations, according to the union. NGG criticized the employer's offer of an approximately 12 percent wage increase over three years, stating it is insufficient to close the significant pay gap. Consequently, 88 percent of union members rejected the offer.
"The issue is to move away from low wages in the East, and therefore the wage gap between East and West must be closed," said Olaf Klenke, a representative for NGG. The goal is to eliminate an income disparity that can be as much as one-third of what colleagues in Western Germany earn.
Ditsch, part of the Swiss Valora Group, is a global market leader in pretzel production. The company stated it did not anticipate any impact on customer deliveries due to the strike and noted that Ditsch had voluntarily increased wages by 3.5 percent effective June 1, 2026. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for Wednesday.