Public transport workers across Germany will stage a 48-hour strike from Friday as talks over pay and conditions stall, a union said, potentially sparking travel chaos for millions.
The Verdi union, negotiating on behalf of about 100,000 workers, said Tuesday it had decided to ramp up pressure on local authorities after making little progress in annual negotiations.
The industrial action is likely to impact local buses, trams and trains in towns and cities across most of Germany on Friday and Saturday in many places.
Deutsche Bahn services, however, are expected to run as usual, meaning that public transport passengers can still use S-bahn lines as well as long-distance (ICE, IC and EC) and regional (RE and RB) trains.
This comes as the second widespread strike in a matter of weeks, after a walkout at the start of February paralysed public transport. The previous strike brought public transport to an almost complete standstill in many municipalities across the country.
Since then there have also been repeated strikes at various local transport companies in individual states and cities, most recently in Hesse and Bavaria.
Where and when are strikes expected?
The next round of strikes is set to begin in the early hours of Friday morning and last into Saturday or Sunday night, depending on the region. They are targeting local public transport across Germany with just a few exceptions.
As of midday on Tuesday it was still open whether the strike would affect Baden-Württemberg, or transport companies in the city-state of Hamburg. A decision on whether the strike will affect operators in these states is expected before Friday.
Transport in Lower Saxony is also excluded from the strikes, because employees here are under a peace agreement that prevents them from striking until the end of March.
Drivers should expect more road traffic
For millions of employees, the coming warning strike can be expected to make for a stressful commute to work on Friday. As always, workers in Germany are still expected to be at work on time, and parents are also expected to ensure their children make it to school.
Road traffic generally increases during public transport strikes as more people switch to cars.
According to the ADAC, an increase in road traffic was seen during the previous nationwide transport strike.
Also, according to the ride-hailing company Freenow, the demand for taxis rose sharply in the morning hours.
‘Determined to fight’
As to why Germany is seeing so many transport strikes, Verdi deputy chair Christine Behle suggests that “public transport services cannot continue to function” without “decisive improvements to working conditions” for public transport workers.
“Our colleagues urgently need relief – and employers need a clear signal that we are determined to fight for our demands,” Behle said in a statement.
The lack of progress after four rounds of talks was “more than disappointing,” she added.
Verdi is negotiating on behalf of employees at about 150 public transport operators in all German states as well as major cities like Berlin and Hamburg.
The union is demanding higher bonuses for night and weekend work, a reduction in weekly working hours and longer rest periods.
In some states, the union is also calling for salary increases of around ten percent.
Meanwhile, the Union of German Locomotive Drivers (GDL) is currently in talks with Deutsche Bahn on behalf of train drivers and transport workers at the national railway company.
If an agreement is not reached this week, passengers may see further Deutsche Bahn strikes next month, which would cause severe disruptions on the S-bahn networks as well as in regional and long-distance rail services.
READ ALSO: Will Germany see widespread railway strikes in March?
With reporting by AFP and DPA.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thelocal.de
