Germany is threatened with a nationwide warning strike in the transport sector. According to information from trade union circles, the railway and transport union EVG and the service union Verdi are preparing a possible one-day warning strike for March 27th. In this case, there should be massive disruptions to public transport in Germany, both in local and long-distance traffic. According to company circles, the railways are already preparing for an “extremely difficult situation”.
Because a joint strike by the unions would have serious consequences for passengers across the country. In addition to Deutsche Bahn, local public transport, airports and the federal highway company would also be affected. In the past, warning strikes on the railways alone have repeatedly hit millions of travelers and commuters. In December 2018, for example, the railways had to stop long-distance traffic nationwide for hours due to warning strikes by the EVG. The great strike effect of this union is due to the fact that its members often work at central points in the railway system, such as in signal boxes.
Neither the EVG nor Verdi wanted to officially confirm the plans on Sunday. First had the Picture-newspaper reported about it. A spokesman for the railways did not comment on the internal preparations either. But the signals are pointing to escalation in the ongoing collective bargaining conflict in the transport sector. The demands of the employees are higher than ever, and the employers have so far been unwilling to respond. Verdi has called for a one-day warning strike this Monday. At the airports in Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen, security personnel are said to be taking part in the labor dispute, and hundreds of flights have been cancelled.
On March 27, the next round of negotiations for the 2.5 million public sector employees at the federal and local governments will begin. In view of inflation at a record level, Verdi is demanding a wage increase of 10.5 percent, but at least 500 euros more per month. The EVG even wants twelve percent more wages and at least 650 euros more per month. The railway has not yet submitted an offer for the 180,000 employees. In letters to the EVG, she puts the cost effect at 2.5 billion euros per year.
Bahn and EVG are meeting again this week for talks. However, no breakthrough is expected. According to insiders, the negotiations are the most difficult in years. The EVG had already stated at the beginning of the negotiations that it expected a quick offer from the railways – otherwise the union would think about warning strikes.
agreement at the post office
Meanwhile, an open-ended postal workers’ strike over the weekend was averted. Deutsche Post DHL and the Verdi services union agreed on one on Saturday new collective agreement for the 160,000 salaried employees in Germany. The contract runs for two years until the end of 2024 and, according to the Bonn-based Dax company, provides for wage increases of an average of 11.5 percent. Verdi had demanded an increase of 15 percent for a period of only one year.
Verdi negotiator Andrea Kocsis spoke anyway of a “good result that could not have been achieved without the pressure and the willingness to go on strike from our members”. According to calculations by the deputy union chairmen, the Post has improved its offer by a quarter compared to the last round of negotiations in early February. In the coming weeks, the Verdi members of the group should vote on the compromise; the union leadership recommends acceptance. Verdi only had that on Thursday Result of a ballot announced that 86 percent of members rejected the earlier Post offer and voted for indefinite strikes.
The Post then asked Verdi to start a new round of negotiations on Friday, which lasted until Saturday in Düsseldorf. If these talks had failed, Verdi would probably have called for unlimited area strikes – the first time since 2015. Customers would have felt that much more strongly than the temporary warning strikes that took place in January and February.