Because of this social movement, the German railway operator Deutsche Bahn "has decided to interrupt the service of trains" in view of the lack of staff, said Achim Stauss, spokesman for Deutsche Bahn, speaking from Berlin's central station, almost deserted.
More than 15,000 employees of the 50 companies in the sector responded to the call to strike, according to the union of railway workers EVG which defends the interests of 230,000 employees.
The warning strike, which is scheduled to last until 13:00 local time (11:00 GMT), aims to "increase pressure on employers" as the industry conducts collective bargaining for wage increases, Cosima Ingenschay and Kristian Loroch, the two EVG collective bargaining officials, said on Friday.
"Employers think they can ignore their employees' demands and want to bargain collectively as they please. This is unacceptable," they added.
The union is demanding a 12% increase in wages and at least 650 euros over twelve months to mitigate the effects of inflation on the purchasing power of railway workers.
This strike is "useless", said Mr. Stauss since negotiations are ongoing.
Traffic disruptions are expected to continue in the hours following the end of the strike, Deutsche Bahn warned in a statement, citing a "calm" situation at stations.
The last strike on 27 March paralyzed the entire transport sector, including airports, for 24 hours, at the call of the stag do as well as the public services union, Verdi.
This union, which represents some 2.5 million employees, has also been conducting tense negotiations with the state and municipalities for several weeks. These talks are due to resume on Saturday to try to reach a wage agreement.
Wage strikes have multiplied in recent months in Germany, from schools to hospitals to the Post Office. Inflation reached 7.4% in March year-on-year, with food prices rising by 22.3%.
© 2023 AFP