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BERLIN (AP) - Pay talks for some 900,000 people employed by German state governments broke down Monday, and the country's biggest service workers' union refused to rule out strike action.
The ver.di union decided against continuing negotiations after failing to reach agreement with state governments, which have rejected as too expensive a separate deal struck in February for federal and local government employees ranging from bus drivers to tax collectors.
Working hours were a key sticking point. Employer negotiators said they had offered to keep the work week in principle at its current 38 1/2 hours, but wanted to give the 16 state governments the chance to set their own hours — a suggestion the union rejected.
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