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News
Bakers threaten Oktoberfest pretzel strike
Bavarian bakers are threatening to go on strike potentially triggering a pretzel shortage during the upcoming Oktoberfest beer festival.
The salty treat is a traditional accompaniment to beer for the millions that flock to the festival each year.
However an ongoing pay dispute could spark a pretzel shortage at the festival, the deputy regional president of the NGG gastronomy union has warned.
Mustafa Oz told Focus News magazine: “If we don’t get any further by mid-September, we’ll strike in the bakeries.”
“Then there’ll be a lack of pretzels and bread rolls” at the Oktoberfest, he added.
The union is negotiating on behalf of 48,000 employees of the bakery sector in southern Bavaria state but so far the proposals by employers have fallen far short of their call for a 6.5% pay rise.
The 181st Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich starts on September 20, and is expected to draw millions of visitors.