The major strike in Germany’s transport sector is underway

One of the largest strikes in recent years began in Germany on Monday night. Since midnight, employees in the public sector and on the railways nationwide have gradually responded to the unions’ call for a 24-hour warning strike. The strike affects the entire transport sector: the railways stopped long-distance and regional transport, airports, local public transport and ports and locks for shipping were also affected.

350,000 employees called to walk out

Because of the collective bargaining conflict in the public sector and on the railways, the service company Verdi and the railway and transport union (EVG) had called a total of around 350,000 employees in various areas across Germany to the warning strike. While the unions justify the strike with insufficient offers from the employers, they accuse the unions of gambling away their credibility.

Millions of people in Germany now have to come to work in a different way than usual. Big traffic jams are expected on the roads. “DB long-distance and regional transport stopped on March 27, 2023 due to a strike by the railway and transport union (EVG),” said the Deutsche Bahn website in the morning. In addition, public transport should also be on strike in seven federal states – Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony.

EVG: Strike action in the morning at 350 locations

Almost all major airports are also on strike, but not Berlin. At Munich Airport, no passengers have been transported since Sunday due to the strike. Ship traffic will also be on strike at locks and ports this Monday.

According to the EVG, more than 30,000 employees at around 350 locations across Germany took part in the early hours of the morning. “The Republic stands because the employers refuse,” says EVG collective bargaining board member Kristian Loroch. “We are on strike today because, despite the difficult financial situation for many employees, we were not presented with anything in the collective bargaining that we could seriously negotiate.”

Also strikes over Easter?

EVG chairman Martin Burkert accused Deutsche Bahn of not having submitted a serious offer in the collective bargaining dispute. “We are striking for a viable offer,” said Burkert of the “Augsburger Allgemeine”. “What the railways have put on the table so far is nothing.” Instead, she even works with “anti-social counter-demands” such as holiday cuts.

The head of the EVG did not want to rule out further warning strikes “over the Easter holidays”. This depends on “whether the railway board will soon submit a decent offer”. The employees in the transport sector are dependent on significant wage increases. “We have gross wages of 2,100 to 2,400 euros for colleagues in the lower wage brackets, such as bus drivers and customer service representatives,” said Burkert. “Something has to happen.”

The EVG is in collective bargaining with Deutsche Bahn and around 50 other companies. Over a period of one year, she calls for wage increases of a total of twelve percent, but at least 650 euros as a “social component”. More than 50 rallies are to take place throughout Germany during the day.

Third wage round in Potsdam

This Monday in Potsdam, Verdi is entering the third round of collective bargaining for around 2.4 million public sector employees. The union demands 10.5 percent and at least 500 euros more monthly salary. The employers are offering a wage increase of five percent for a term of 27 months and a tax-free one-off payment of 2,500 euros to compensate for inflation.

In view of this tariff conflict, the German Association of Towns and Municipalities (DStGB) warned of a financial overload on the municipalities and ultimately of higher burdens for the citizens. Association general manager Gerd Landsberg told the “Bild” newspaper that many municipalities “will be forced – because everything is becoming more expensive – to raise, for example, garbage fees, entrance fees for swimming pools or property taxes”. In addition, many municipalities “will be able to invest less money in the renovation of school buildings in the future, for example”.

The financial situation of the cities and municipalities is not good overall. A high collective agreement in the public sector will exacerbate the problem, said Landsberg.

sti/AR (afp, dpa, rtr)