Strikes impact German rail network, four airports

Rail workers went on strike in Germany on Friday, with workers demanding a rise in pay to match inflation.

The rail strike was organized by the EVG Union, which represents railway workers.

The work stoppage is set to coincide with a strike at the airports in Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne/Bonn and Stuttgart organized by the Verdi union.

What do we know about the rail workers’ strike?

The strike began at 3 a.m. and is scheduled to run until 11 a.m. local time (0100 to 0900 UTC/GMT). The train network was expected to be impacted all day.

Germany’s national rail company, Deutsche Bahn, said all its long-distance connections and most commuter trains would be canceled until 1 p.m.

The EVG is negotiating on behalf of 230,000 workers and is seeking a 12% wage increase, or at least an additional €650 ($715) per month.

Deutsche Bahn has put forth a pay increase of 5%, as well as one-off payments of up to €2,500.

EVG said the strike aims to push employers to “finally make a negotiable offer.”

Latest in a series of strikes

Germany has witnessed some of its most disruptive strikes in decades over the past several months.

High inflation, triggered by the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, has exacerbated labor problems in sectors such as aviation.

On Thursday, a Verdi-organized strike at the airports in Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Cologne/Bonn led to around 700 departures being canceled.

Late last month, EVG and Verdi organized walkouts that lasted 24 hours and involved around 350,000 workers.

sdi/sms (Reuters, AFP)

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Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/strikes-impact-german-rail-network-four-airports/a-65392214?maca=en-rss-en-ger-1023-xml-atom