Warn strikes set to hit public services this week

The 'warn-strike' action, designed to increase pressure on negotiators, was called after an initial round of talks failed to produce a result.

Unions including Verdi, which represents service workers, GEW which represents child care employees and the DBB public servant union are demanding a 3.5 percent pay increase plus a one-off €100 payment for their public service members.

Workers in large areas of Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg, but also some places in Saxony, Thuringia and Berlin were due to stay at home on Monday. If negotiations being held in Potsdam continue beyond Thursday, more workers were prepared to strike in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and Hamburg.

Public offices and child day care were due to remain closed in Braunschweig, Lüneburg, Peine and Verden as well as Bremerhaven.

Southern Baden will also be affected, particularly in transport, kindergartens and non-emergency health care.

Public transport in Stuttgart and Karlsruhe could be hit on Tuesday and Wednesday, while six hospitals in Berlin are also on the "warn-strike" target list.

READ MORE: Strike threat hits Berlin's biggest hospital