Massive staff shortage: Munich runs out of bakers

The union of food, pleasure and restaurants (NGG) calls for more wages for the approximately 3,560 bakery employees in Munich.

"Those who work in the bakery trade do an important, but also strenuous job. It must become more attractive if the industry wants to find and retain the specialists it urgently needs in the future," says Tim Lünnemann, managing director of the NGG Munich region. According to Lünnemann, the master bakers have been plagued by a lack of young talent for years.

Specifically, the union is demanding that wages in the Bavarian bakery trade increase by 7.5 percent - but by at least 200 euros per month. "Especially in sales, pay is clearly too low. High inflation is hitting employees with full force," says Lünnemann.

Across the Free State, around 60,000 employees who want more pay are at stake. The first round of negotiations is scheduled to take place on October 17.

At the moment, there are even still some wage groups that are below the new minimum wage of twelve euros an hour, said NGG representative Kurt Haberl. In this range one demands 13 euro. Even skilled bakery saleswomen with experience in the industry have so far only been paid 13.67 euros per hour. Retail shelf cleaners often earn more, which is why there is a migration and shortage of skilled workers.

Haberl expects rather still no agreement on the first negotiation day and considers afterwards warning strikes for possible - even if not surface covering. "I am afraid that we will not find a satisfactory solution through normal negotiations." At the same time, he said, the demand is below the rate of inflation.