Am Donnerstag, 08.04.2021 ab 15:30 Uhr findet unsere nächste Protestaktion vor dem Haus der Kunst, in dem es eine Filiale von Walther König gibt, statt.
Hier werden wir unseren Forderungen erneut Gehör verschaffen.
- - Rücknahme aller Kündigungen
- - Sofortige Auszahlung sämtlicher ausstehender Löhne
- - Einhaltung der Arbeitsrechte
- - Generelle Verbesserung der Arbeitsbedingungen für alle Beschäftigten bundesweit
Wenn ihr kommen wollt, achtet auf ausreichend Abstand und Hygienemaßnahmen. Schluss mit der Kunst der Ausbeutung in der Buchhandlung Walther König!
Legal Actions Begin - Protest in Front of the Munich Museums Continues
The labour dispute between the bookstore Walther König and the student employees proceeds without change. Since 8 February 2021, the working students and the grass-roots union FAU demand paid sick days, entitlement to paid leave and cancellation of the negative hours illegally accumulated during the pandemic that all employees are required to work off – without pay. The employer continues to ignore the union's request for negotiation – despite the increasing pressure from public and art world. To date, the only answer to the employees’ demands: the pay for February was denied, when they demanded the payment of their wages, the fighting employees were laid off. Now, the stores are left almost without employees.The prestigious art bookstore Walther König denies employees holidays, doesn‘t pay sick days and, during the pandemic, urged them to take "negative hours" in order to ensure continued pay.
Employees of the branches in Munich are no longer willing to accept this situation. Together with the grass-roots union FAU, they have entered a labour dispute in February 2021.
The company has branches in Germany, Paris, London, Milan, Vienna und Brussels.
In the following, you find our press releases concerning the current labour dispute of FAU Munich with the bookstore chain Walther König.
First, they didn't pay, then came the layoffs!
A labour dispute has been going on between the bookstore chain Walther König and working students at the three Munich branches since 08.02.2021.
The employees and the grass-roots union FAU demand: Realization of the entitlement to paid leave and paid sick days as well as the unlawfully accumulated negative hours that were demanded by the employer during the time the stores were closed due to the shutdown.
Now, the employer intensifies the dispute further by not paying the employees for February.
After demanding the pay, all student employees of the three Munich branches were laid off only one day later.
So far, neither the demands of the students and the union, nor proposed dates for talks have been addressed — on the contrary, the employer's only reaction has been laying off all those who have pointed out the problems.
One of the students said: "I am shocked. We did not expect such rude and ignorant behaviour".
"We had hoped that the employer side would be willing to talk, and now we are faced with our layoffs. First, we run the risk of losing our homes because we are not being paid, now we lose our jobs, too", another employee states.
Without any valid argument, and using illegal practices, Walther König puts the working students even further in a situation of necessity.
"Walther König continues breaking the law and now tries to fuel existential fears among the employees. The bookseller's illegal practices intensify the conflict in an unnecessary manner. Director Udo Milz has to get to the negotiation table and let go his attitude of blockade", Patrick Lohner, Secretary of the FAU Munich, states.
The employees declare:
"We expect that they comply with the basic employee rights and thus meet our demands.
We demand the immediate payment of our wages - but not as an advance payment.
We demand that all layoffs are taken back immediately.
Further work must occur under significantly better conditions. That has to apply for all Walther König employees, not only in Munich."
On 11.02.2021, the 12th chamber of the Social Court (Sozialgericht) Karlsruhe has made a final judgement on the topic of FFP2 masks. According to the judgement, there is an additional need for the purchase of 20 FFP2 masks per week for a recipient of Hartz IV welfare living in a single person household. The Jobcenter has to either provide the masks or pay the amount of €129 per single person household. For a multi person household, more masks or a higher amount of money must be granted accordingly.
The FAU Düsseldorf provides an application form on its website (only German).
You can find a detailed description of the judgement in German at juris.de.
