Anyone who wants to use public transport to go to work this Monday, or who has planned a train or plane trip, will be slowed down by a nationwide major strike: the Verdi union has called for a warning strike in the public sector, and there is also a call for a warning strike by the railway and transport union (EVG ). What do you need to know about this, what are the forecasts for the greater Munich area, how extensively will traffic be shut down? Below are the most important answers.
What is this strike about?
The aim of the two unions is to push through significantly higher salaries to compensate for inflation in the current collective bargaining disputes. Nationwide, the two employee representatives have called on 2.5 million public servants and 230,000 employees in the railway sector to stop working.
What do commuters have to prepare for?
Anyone who wants to use public transport to go to work in the Munich area on Monday has a massive problem: the employees of the Munich transport company (MVG) are to go on strike from Monday, 3:30 a.m. to Tuesday, 3:30 a.m. Subways, trams and buses are affected. The MVG expects that there will be “significant restrictions on the subway, bus and tram in Munich”. The MVG assumes that about half of the vehicles can drive from the buses, since the cooperation partners are not on strike. Together with them, “a 20-minute cycle is aimed for on all lines”. The CityRing 58/68 and the ExpressBus X30 are no longer used.
As on the previous two strike days at the beginning of March, operations on the subway and tram will initially come to a standstill and, depending on the number of employees in the control center and in the driving service, will “possibly be resumed at a later date”. That will be decided at short notice, depending on the willingness to go on strike. As a precautionary measure, the MVG has also set the priority for where operations should resume in the afternoon. With the subway, this is line U6 between Garching Research Center and Klinikum Großhadern, with the tram line 20, which runs between Moosach and Stachus.
Where can I get current MVG information?
On the day of the strike, MVG will provide continuous information on the current operating situation www.mvg.de and on Facebook. Passengers can also find information in the “MVG-Fahrinfo München” app and on Twitter, as well as via the electronic displays and announcements.
We also report on the current events on strike Monday in Munich in a live blog.
What about the Munich S-Bahn?
The S-Bahn operated by Deutsche Bahn is also massively affected by the warning strike – and works with a similar forecast to the Munich U-Bahn: Nothing will work at all in the morning, depending on the strike participation, emergency S-Bahn operations will resume in the afternoon possible. There are no more detailed forecasts from the railways. All of this could only be decided on Monday, depending on the staff who are ready to work.
Are the regional buses running?
The operator of many regional bus lines in the region, Regionalverkehr Oberbayern GmbH (RVO), is also affected by the warning strike. As far as lines are served by other cooperation partners, they should run regularly. Travel information on the Internet: www.dbregiobus-bayern.de
What about long-distance rail transport?
The railway has completely stopped its long-distance traffic for Monday, March 27th, due to the EVG warning strike.
Do you only have a car or a bike?
Yes, that’s what it looks like. If you decide to drive, you can expect exceptionally heavy traffic in Munich. And if you take the bike, look forward to lousy, wet and cold weather with rain and maybe even sleet. We therefore recommend: Warm hiking boots, gloves, helmet with rain cover, rain poncho, waterproof bags, dry change of clothes, chocolate, hot tea…
Has flight operations been suspended?
Munich Airport is even more severely affected by the Verdi warning strike, where baggage handling and security services have been paralyzed since Sunday – leading to a complete standstill. It remains the same this Monday. All regular passenger flights have been cancelled, only medically necessary flights or technically necessary landings are being handled in an emergency program. “It’s very quiet here,” said a spokeswoman for the Munich airport company FMG on Sunday afternoon. Only a few passengers came. Some tour groups would be rerouted to other airports by their tour operators with buses. A total of 1,500 connections and around 200,000 passengers are affected in Munich. Even before the two-day shutdown, there were cancellations at Germany’s second largest airport on Saturday evening: due to a software failure, around 40 flights were canceled, said an FMG spokeswoman. In addition, there were numerous delays.
Why is the strike legal?
Strike is a fundamental right protected by the constitution. Article 9 paragraph 3 of the Basic Law permits this means of enforcing collective bargaining demands, both as a warning strike and as a full strike.
Is shipping also affected?
The current warning strike also applies to shipping – but the lake shipping on Lake Starnberg, Ammersee and Staffelsee is still on winter break. The season starts on April 1st at Staffelsee and on April 9th at the other two lakes.
Further consequences of the strike
The warning strike will have massive consequences. Surprising indicator, in addition to all known warnings from the transport industry: The Munich delicatessen Dallmayr closed on Monday without giving any reasons “because of the warning strike”.