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Picket line in Bremen: “Incredible pressure on the employees”

Photo: Jörn Hüneke / dpa

An almost nationwide strike in German local transport began early this morning. The Ver.di union has called on around 90,000 employees from over 130 municipal companies in cities and districts, with the exception of Bavaria, to take industrial action.

"As a rule, there is a strike from the start of operations to the end of operations - usually from 3 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Saturday morning," said Andreas Schackert, federal specialist group leader for buses and trains at Ver.di. However, there are exceptions. The BVG in Berlin will only go on strike until 10 a.m., and some transport companies like in Aachen or Mannheim won't go on strike at all because there are collective agreements there. In addition, the strike in some companies in Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate was scheduled to begin on Thursday evening. Read here: Where the Ver.di railway workers are on strike on Friday.

Another strike at Hamburg airport

Ver.di had already largely paralyzed operations at eleven German airports on Thursday with a strike by security staff. The union has also called for industrial action among ground staff, who are responsible for baggage handling, at Hamburg Airport on Friday. In the morning, five departures and three arrivals were canceled, according to the airport's website. The majority of these are flights to and from Helsinki and Munich.

With the bus and train strike, Verdi wants to increase pressure on employers. Ver.di argues that the burden on employees and the staff shortage in local public transport (ÖPNV) have continued to increase. “We have a dramatic shortage of workers in public transport and incredible pressure on the employees,” said Ver.di deputy chairwoman Christine Behle recently. Solutions for relief must be found quickly.

more on the subject

  • Rules for industrial disputes:So that the Zoch is coolThe SPIEGEL editorial by Alexander Preker

  • Standstill on Friday: Where the Ver.di railway workers will go on strike on Friday

  • Warning strikes on Friday: Buses and trains are only running to a limited extent in 80 cities

At the beginning of December, Ver.di initiated the collective bargaining round and presented demands in all 16 federal states. Each tariff area has its own requirements. At the core, however, it is all about issues such as fewer weekly working hours with full wage compensation, shorter shifts, reducing unpaid travel times, extending rest periods, more vacation or additional days of relief.

The warning strikes are supported by the climate movement Fridays for Future. The organization is calling for better working conditions in the industry as a prerequisite for making public transport more attractive as an alternative to cars.

Green party leader praises walkout

The Green Party parliamentary group leader Katharina Dröge also expressed her solidarity with local public transport employees. These are “the everyday climate heroes,” she said. »With their work every day, they ensure that millions of people in Germany travel in a climate-friendly way and at affordable prices. That’s why the commitment to good working conditions is important.«

Climate protection and justice belong together, said Dröge. The joint strike call from Ver.di and Fridays for Future shows this. They called for a price guarantee for the Deutschland Ticket and more investment in rail and public transport.

According to Darya Sotoodeh from Fridays for Future, everyone depends on good mobility. »However, the current working conditions in local transport prevent this. More and more employees are becoming ill or giving up their jobs completely. That's why people are calling for better working conditions and massive investments in public transport. »We support the employees in their strikes so that something finally changes. And we will continue to do so - as long as necessary.

apr/dpa/Reuters