Overview

• The GEW launched a three-day warning strike in Berlin schools starting May 13, demanding smaller class sizes and reduced workloads.
• Participation on the first day of the strike was low, with only 4% of teachers (1,350 out of 36,300) joining the action.
• The timing of the strike, during critical French Abitur and MSA math exams, has been criticized by Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch and student representatives.
• The Berlin Senate maintains it cannot negotiate the union's proposed collective health agreement due to constraints from its membership in the Tarifgemeinschaft deutscher Länder (TdL).
• GEW leaders defended the strike as necessary and announced plans to consider further escalation steps, citing ongoing inaction from the Senate on teacher workload issues.