Wage talks for Deutsche Bank's Postbank staff fail, again

By Tom Sims

FRANKFURT (Reuters) -There was no agreement following a fourth round of talks between management of Deutsche Bank's Postbank arm and employee representatives in a months-long wage dispute, the Verdi labour union said on Wednesday.

The negotiations come as Germany's largest lender tries to keep a lid on costs and manage customer service problems at Postbank.

The union has demanded a 15.5% pay increase for the thousands of workers affected and has held a series of strikes in the standoff.

Deutsche Bank raised its offer to a 10% pay increase in two steps during Tuesday's talks, Verdi said.

"The positions are still far apart," said Jan Duscheck, Verdi's chief negotiator and a member of Deutsche's supervisory board.

Deutsche Bank declined to comment.

The union made its initial demand for a 15.5% pay increase in December, a level it says is justified due to the rapid pace of inflation after a previous wage agreement was concluded in 2022.

Union members will now have vote on possible further strikes, the union said.

(Reporting by Tom SimsEditing by Miranda Murray and Louise Heavens)