German trade union Verdi has called on workers at furniture maker IKEA and the wholesaler Metro to strike on Friday as part of a long-running wage dispute in the retail sector. Rallies are planned throughout Germany in city centres or at the affected retailers – including in Hamburg, Berlin, Erfurt, Kassel, Nuremberg and Bremen. “Both companies wield a lot of influence in the employers’ collective bargaining committees and are not using this to push negotiations towards an agreement,” said Verdi national executive Silke Zimmer on Thursday. IKEA shrugged off the threat, saying it is not expecti…