Strikes hit some bankrupt German retail stores, but doors stay open

Workers at 19 department stores of Germany's insolvent Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof group took part in all-day strikes on Saturday, but the stores remained open, reported dpa.

The service trade union Verdi called for the work stoppages in the states of Hamburg, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse. In Hamburg, all five department stores were on strike, while in Baden-Wuerttemberg there were six stores and in Hesse eight affected, the union said.

"All shops are open and will remain so," a company spokesman said in Essen on Saturday. Previously, the Galeria board had called the strike measures illegal.

The bankrupt company is in the middle of a restructuring plan, but union leaders said the strikes were not in protest at that plan, but rather due to stalled collective bargaining for the approximately 17,000 employees.

"The workforces have been putting money into the restructuring of the company for many years, foregoing up to €5,500 every year," said Hamburg's Verdi Vice President Heike Lattekamp.

Workers are very angry and disappointed, she said. Management recently ruled out a return to the regional collective agreement and demanded more flexible working hours.

The strike is the union's response to those demands, she said.

The Galeria board criticized the strike plans, calling the walkout "obviously unlawful." They told Business Insider that the strikes threatened "to cause ruinous damage for which [the union] would be liable."