faq
Anyone who has to be out and about these days is involuntarily embarking on an adventure trip. Whether by train, plane or public transport – someone is guaranteed to be on strike everywhere. Also this week. An overview.
the initial situation
Train drivers, airport security staff, flight attendants, bus drivers – it feels like someone in the transport sector is constantly on strike. Germany strike country. Of course it’s not that dramatic, but due to the many industrial disputes in various areas, it’s easy to lose track of things. Especially people who just want to get from A to B are having a hard time these weeks. Who, when, where, how long and why – a short guide or thread:
Standstill on the railway
The train drivers’ union GDL has called for what is now the sixth strike in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute. For freight traffic, it should start on Monday evening at 6 p.m. and last 24 hours. In passenger transport it should be on Tuesday morning at 2 a.m go and also 24 hours last. Little is likely to go according to plan for travelers on Tuesday. Especially since the GDL only announced this latest strike at short notice and the railway therefore has little time for an emergency timetable. However, there should be a basic offer that is already available on the group’s website. The railways now also have a certain strike routine. During the previous GDL strikes, the railway offered around 20 percent of the usual long-distance transport. The effects were different in regional transport. The railway’s usual strike rules of goodwill apply.
How long will this last?
Not clear. There are currently no negotiations. The railway did invite Claus Weselsky’s union to new talks, but they declined. The GDL first demands an improved offer from the railway before it comes back to the negotiating table. The railway, in turn, rejected this and referred to the moderators’ compromise paper, which comes very close to the demands of the GDL, especially when it comes to the crucial point of weekly working hours. Formal arbitration could solve the knot, but the GDL rejects that.
The GDL had recently threatened “wave strikes”, i.e. work stoppages without much notice and varying in duration. That would further escalate the collective bargaining conflict. The railway considers this to be “disproportionate” and is taking the matter to court. Exit open.
Strike at Lufthansa
The cabin union UFO is also calling for a strike – namely the around 19,000 flight attendants at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cityline. It’s about the days Tuesday and Wednesday. There will be strikes in each case from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Tuesday all departures from Frankfurt am Main and on All departures from Munich on Wednesday, as UFO announced. According to Lufthansa, around 120,000 passengers are expected to be affected by the strike. Around 1,000 flights will be canceled.
The tariff conflict at Lufthansa is further complicated by competition from UFO and ver.di. The Independent Flight Attendants Organization (UFO), founded in 1992, is a sectoral union that exclusively represents flight attendants, primarily at Condor and the Lufthansa Group. In individual flight operations, it competes with the DGB union ver.di, which also wants to organize flying staff.
Lufthansa is involved in collective bargaining disputes in several areas. Last weekend, employees of the freight subsidiary Lufthansa Cargo stopped work. Before that, Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Aviation Training and Lufthansa Technical Training were on strike. This had hardly any consequences for travelers, but it did have consequences for the company.
Strikes at airports
Ver.di has not yet called for new strikes at airports this week. Most recently, this happened in Frankfurt and Hamburg and in Düsseldorf without any announcement Security personnel went on strike. Also Personnel and freight controllers went on strike at Cologne-Bonn Airport.
In addition, there was the warning strike announced by ver.di Lufthansa ground staff. This led to significant restrictions in air traffic, especially in Frankfurt and Munich. Since the aviation security forces in Frankfurt and Hamburg were also on strike, no one could check in here.
How long will this last?
It’s hard to say because the situation is so confusing. The group and ver.di want to continue negotiations for Lufthansa’s ground staff on March 13th and 14th. After the strike vote, the UFO cabin union is now on strike, and Lufthansa called for negotiations.
Strikes in public transport
Recently, warning strikes in public transport caused significant traffic disruptions in almost all federal states. Ver.di is currently negotiating new collective agreements with transport companies in 14 federal states. There is now a degree in Saarland. There are also likely to be deals in other federal states in the next few weeks. The fronts are not seen as hardened everywhere.
And what will happen to the Easter holidays?
It remains to be seen whether traveling by train or plane will be possible again over Easter without the chaos of strikes. If you don’t feel like going on an adventure vacation, it’s better to stay at home. This is particularly true for train journeys. GDL boss Weselsky had not ruled out strikes over Easter.