Verdi, Germany’s largest services union, is preparing for potentially unlimited strikes at Postbank after breaking off the third round of wage talks on Monday. The union accused the employer side of failing to present a new offer, triggering a formal strike ballot that will run from June 17 to July 3, 2026.
At the heart of the dispute are demands that go well beyond pay. Alongside an 8 percent salary increase – or at least €300 more per month for the roughly 9,000 employees covered – Verdi is pushing for binding training and qualification rights in artificial intelligence. The union argues that workers in banking need concrete guarantees that they will be equipped for the technological upheaval reshaping the sector. Trainees would receive an extra €200 per month under the proposal.
Job security and the preservation of branch locations form another pillar of the union’s position. The talks cover staff at Postbank, its service unit PCC Services, and the Postbank Filialvertrieb AG retail arm.
Verdi’s lead negotiator Jan Duscheck said the employer side could still prevent an escalation – but only if Deutsche Bank, Postbank’s parent company, tables a substantially improved offer. The bank itself declined to comment on the negotiations.
The strike ballot requires approval from at least 75 percent of eligible union members to authorize an indefinite walkout. A fourth round of talks has been scheduled for June 30 in Berlin, just days before the ballot closes, leaving a narrow window for a last-minute deal.
The conflict comes at a delicate time for Deutsche Bank. The lender is already wrestling with a protracted legal dispute dating back to its takeover of Postbank. In spring 2024, the Higher Regional Court of Cologne indicated that former Postbank shareholders might have legitimate claims for a higher purchase price. The bank responded by setting aside provisions of roughly €1.3 billion, a move that weighed on its core capital ratio. Management has stressed that the group’s long-term strategic plans remain unaffected – but whether that financial overhang is shaping Deutsche Bank’s willingness to bend in the current wage talks is a question the union is now forcing into the open.
