Status: 03/23/2023 1:47 p.m
The trade unions ver.di and EVG have announced a comprehensive warning strike for Monday. It affects long-distance, regional and local traffic as well as airports and the motorway company – nationwide.
With a large-scale nationwide warning strike, the railway and transport union (EVG) and ver.di want to paralyze large parts of public transport on Monday. Both organizations announced this. There will be “severe delays throughout Germany up to the point at which the traffic services in all the areas mentioned will come to a standstill,” it said.
Ver.di boss Frank Werneke said the strike day would have a “massive effect”. In view of the mood in the companies, a high level of participation is expected. Ver.di called 120,000 employees nationwide to strike, the EVG 230,000 employees in bus and train.
“For the first time, road traffic will also be affected this time,” Ole Hilgert, RBB, on the announced major strike
Midday magazine 1:00 p.m., 23.3.2023
Long-distance, regional and S-Bahn traffic affected
The long-distance, regional and S-Bahn transport of Deutsche Bahn and other railway companies are affected by the unprecedented warning strike. Ver.di is also calling for work stoppages at several airports and in local public transport in the federal states of Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Saxony, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and Bavaria. The highway company is also said to be on strike, as is the water and shipping administration.
According to the EVG, the railway companies Transdev, AKN, Osthannoversche Eisenbahnen, erixx, vlexx, eurobahn and Die Länderbahn are affected on the rails in addition to Deutsche Bahn. “The all-day strike usually begins on the night of March 26/27 at 00:00 and ends at 24:00,” said both unions. EVG Chairman Martin Burkert recommended travelers to get to their destination as early as possible on Sunday. “Because there can definitely be shifts that go into Monday from Sunday evening,” he said.
According to the unions, the warning strikes at airports are linked to collective bargaining for public sector workers. On the other hand, it is also about the local negotiations for employees of the ground handling services as well as the nationwide negotiations for the employees of aviation security.
Increased pressure for negotiations
With the actions, ver.di is increasing the pressure for the third round of negotiations with the federal and local governments, which begins on Monday. Together with the civil servants’ association dbb, the union for the public sector is demanding 10.5 percent and at least 500 euros more wages. The employers submitted an offer in the second round of negotiations at the end of February. Among other things, it includes a pay increase of five percent in two steps and one-off payments totaling 2,500 euros.
At the end of February, EVG began negotiations with Deutsche Bahn and around 50 other railway companies. The union had rejected an initial offer from Deutsche Bahn last week. She demands at least 650 euros more wages. In the case of higher wages, she is aiming for an increase of twelve percent with a term of the collective agreement of twelve months. Among other things, Deutsche Bahn had offered to raise the wages of the approximately 180,000 employees affected by a total of five percent in two steps and several one-off payments totaling 2,500 euros.
The unions are “confronted with a completely inadequate offer, and that’s why it’s important for us to make it clear again at the beginning and before the start of the third round of collective bargaining next Monday that our demands have broad support among the workforce,” said Werneke. That will show up on Monday.