German union calls on banks to pay workers 1500 euro energy bonus

BERLIN (Reuters) - The German union Verdi on Wednesday called on Germany's top banks to pay some of its lowest-earning workers a special bonus to help them combat higher energy prices.

The union is asking for a 1500-euro payment for this year and another for the next, affecting some 40,000 employees, the union said.

"There are also low-wage employees in the banking industry. For them, things are now getting very tight financially," Verdi official Jan Duscheck said in a tweet.

Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank, whose employees are affected by the demand, declined to comment.

Handelsblatt first reported on the effort.

(Reporting by Tom Sims and Marta Orosz, editing by Rachel More)