Warning strikes of public sector employees started in Germany. Teachers, medical workers, clerks gather on streets. They demand three per cent salary increase and additional EUR 50. Public services employees in German states are on their feet since Monday, Deutsche Welle reports.

After two rounds of negotiations on increase of salaries between trade unions and employers have failed, the employees initiate warning strikes before the third round of negotiations, planned for March 9 and 10 in Potsdam.

Strike was organised in German province of Saarland on Monday, on Tuesday it spreads to North Rhine-Westphalia, and as of March 9 strikes are to spread to another 12 German states.

First protesters, medical workers employed at the University Clinic Bad Homburg, said they wanted to communicate a message that for a job well done they want to be well paid. They started this warning strike in order to avoid possible larger misunderstandings during the following tariff negotiations. At the moment, these negotiations are being led for public sector employees in 14 federal states. In past several weeks, the employers did not present their offer, and that is not acceptable. This strike aims at getting the employers to re-examine their position.

Main negotiator of employers, in this case of German provinces, is the Finance Minister of Lower Saxony Hartmut Moellring believes that the protesters demands are excessive, as state budget is empty. He did state, however, that they will try to find a solution leading to compromise by the third round of negotiations.

Saarland State Trade Union Chief Alfred Staudt stance is that previous tariff negotiations did not fail, but are merely postponed. He said that the employers were just spinning in a circle with their arguments, which was the reason to stop negotiating. The idea is to make them reconsider everything. Everyone should review the situation and the struggle for these working conditions will go on until March 8. It will start in Saarland, and after negotiations on March 11 it will be clear what can be achieved, Staudt said.

Medical personnel at the University Clinic in Bad Homburg was joined on Monday by the teachers, roads maintenance workers, foresters... They all demand linear salary increase by three per cent with an additional fifty euro.

Unsatisfied workers in German states’ public sector protested in 2006, and then the strike lasted 111 days. The union representatives say it is not impossible same thing will happen in 2011, if the third round of negotiations fails, reports Deutsche Welle.