German union Verdi: Next wage deals should at least compensate for inflation

HAMBURG (Reuters) - German services sector trade union Verdi will aim to at the very minimum gain compensation for soaring inflation in upcoming wage negotiations in the public sector, with Deutsche Post and in retail, union chief Frank Werneke said on Thursday.

It is especially important for medium- and low-income groups that were the worst affected by inflation, which hovered around 8% on the year, he said.

Verdi in August helped achieve a deal at Lufthansa that the company said translated to an increase in gross base salaries of 8.3% for workers earning 6,500 euros a month and of 19.2% for those making 2,000 euros.

The union wants to achieve similar deals in other sectors, said Werneke. It is most advanced in its preparations for negotiations for the public sector and wants to put an offer on the table on Oct. 11.

(Reporting by Jan Schwartz; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Mark Porter)