STUTTGART (dpa-AFX) - Hundreds of Telekom employees have gathered in front of the MHP Arena in Stuttgart for a warning strike following a call by the Verdi trade union. Around 300 employees were on site for the rally in the late morning, according to state labor dispute leader Christian Filusch on Thursday. The aim was to keep up the pressure in the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations.

Telekom was awarded comprehensive media rights for the tournament by the European Football Association UEFA in 2019. All 51 matches of the European Championship will be shown via the Telekom streaming service MagentaTV, five of them exclusively. However, some of the technology still needs to be expanded before the start on June 14 to ensure that everything runs smoothly. "Deutsche Telekom employees are highly motivated to provide technical support for the soccer event," said Filusch. "But before that, a proper wage agreement must be in place."

The call to strike was directed at all areas of Telekom in the Stuttgart, Leinfelden-Echterdingen and Goppingen regions, according to the statement. The consequences for customers were sometimes longer waiting times on the service hotline or postponed appointments for new connections. According to the information, around 4500 employees work for Telekom in Baden-Württemberg. In addition, there had also been calls for warning strikes in the nine other cities hosting matches during the European Championships.

After the employer presented an improved offer in the fourth round of collective bargaining on Tuesday evening, the round was extended up to and including Friday. In this year's collective bargaining round, Verdi is demanding, among other things, a pay rise of 12 percent for the approximately 70,000 employees nationwide./agy/DP/men