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Warning strike on Thursday at Hamburg Airport: “We need clear industrial action rights”
Photo: Hanno Bode / IMAGO
Against the backdrop of the current strikes in rail and air transport, the debate about reforming the right to strike is gaining momentum.
“The strikes in the critical infrastructure are not only annoying, they are also a brake on growth,” said the general manager of the Federal Association of Employers’ Associations, Steffen Kampeter, to the “Rheinische Post”.
"The economic damage not only affects the companies directly affected, but also the entire economy." Kampeter described the unions' actions as "disproportionate" and called on the legislature to act.
"We need clear industrial action law, especially for the railways and comparable areas."
The business expert Veronika Grimm also expects the Ver.di and GDL unions to give in to the current collective bargaining disputes at Bahn and Lufthansa.
»The right to strike enjoys a high level of protection, and that's a good thing.
But if the strikes increasingly put a strain on competitiveness, it is of course possible that the legislature will intervene and adjust the regulations," said Grimm in the "Rheinische Post".
For example, one could come up with the idea of requiring an arbitration procedure before a strike.
Similar demands are coming from the opposition: The legal policy spokesman for the Union faction, Günter Krings, is calling for a strike law with mandatory lead times for industrial disputes in critical infrastructure.
Such a law “includes standards for proportionality and the necessary lead times for a strike in public services and critical infrastructure,” the CDU politician told the Editorial Network Germany (RND).
"This is the only way customers, who are now the biggest victims of the rail strikes, can take precautions in good time."
mik/dpa AFX