Wrapped up in strikes: German döner lovers face shortages and sizzling prices
Workers at the Birtat Meat World SE factory in southwestern Germany have gone on strike again amid a salary dispute.
Germans are in kebab angst. They worry that their most beloved street food—the spicy, juicy kebab in a pita—found on every street corner across Germany, may get more expensive, or even worse, that the country may be sliding into a national kebab shortage.
Even if these fears may sound exaggerated at first, they aren't unfounded. Workers at one of Germany's biggest kebab factories are locked in a bitter and ongoing fight with their employer over wages and working conditions.
For weeks, workers at the Birtat Meat World SE factory in southwestern Germany have repeatedly stopped the production line by walking out in "warning strikes,” demanding wage increases of €375 per month.
Their current salaries vary widely, and haven't been disclosed. The Food, Beverages and Catering Union that represents them says that payment methods are non-transparent and workers are making vastly different salaries for the same kind of job, according to German news agency dpa.
German media have reported that Birtat hasn't yielded to any of the demands so far. The company didn't immediately respond to requests for an interview…