Following the call of the service union Verdi, nationwide warning strikes in local public transport began on Monday. Employees stopped work at the start of the morning shift, as a Verdi spokesman confirmed to the AFP news agency. The union wants to put pressure on employers in the current collective bargaining round for almost 100,000 employees in 150 municipal transport companies and bus companies.
This Monday there will be significant restrictions on local public transport in many places throughout the day. Almost all 16 federal states are affected, as Verdi announced.
There is only one federal state that, according to Verdi, is not initially affected by the strikes. The peace obligation still applies to the approximately 5,000 employees in Lower Saxony. Deutsche Bahn’s regional and S-Bahn trains are currently running without restrictions. “The S-Bahn in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Cologne, Nuremberg, Rhine-Main and the DB regional and long-distance transport are not represented as companies by Verdi and are therefore not affected by the strike,” said the federally owned company.
Verdi calls for better working conditions in local public transport
Verdi wants to put pressure on employers in the current collective bargaining round for almost 100,000 employees in 150 urban transport companies and bus companies. In the negotiations that have been ongoing since November, Verdi is calling for significantly better working conditions in local public transport, for example by shortening weekly working hours and shift times, extending rest periods and higher surcharges for night and weekend work.
In Bavaria, Brandenburg, Saarland, Thuringia and at the Hamburger Hochbahn, higher wages and salaries are also being negotiated. Employers criticize the strikes as disproportionate.
In Berlin, the tram runs despite the strike – but without guests
The Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) has been struggling for days with heavily icy tram overhead lines. The transport company reports that the entire route network is now accessible again. However, the ongoing work remains challenging due to the weather conditions – and will require regular trips in the coming days and nights.
Therefore, Verdi agreed with the BVG on a “special solution”: Despite the strike, tram service will continue on Monday, but without passengers. This would be the most likely way to guarantee that the railways would be able to run as usual again after the strike.
Danger of black ice in the night from Sunday to Monday
It’s not just in Berlin that the weather becomes an additional challenge. According to the German Weather Service (DWD), there may be widespread slippery conditions due to freezing rain or drizzle in the south and northwest and in the central eastern mountains on Monday night. The strongest black ice is therefore expected in Münsterland and southern Emsland. The risk of slippery conditions cannot be ruled out due to freezing moisture.
Because of the strike in local public transport, more people may have to use cars to get to work or spend their working day in the home office.
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