A major strike yesterday brought much of Germany’s air traffic, rail service and commuter lines to a halt as workers demanded wage hikes in the face of brisk inflation.
Workers at airports, ports, railways, buses and metro lines throughout much of Europe’s top economy heeded a call by the Verdi and EVG unions for the 24-hour walkout.
“A labor struggle that has no impact is toothless,” Verdi chairman Frank Werneke told public broadcaster Phoenix.
Photo: Reuters
He acknowledged that the stoppage would inflict pain on many commuters and holidaymakers, “but better one day of strain with the prospect of reaching a wage agreement than weeks of industrial action.”
Berlin’s usually bustling central railway station was mostly quiet yesterday morning, after the national railway canceled long-distance and regional links across Germany.
Arrival and departure boards at Frankfurt airport, the nation’s biggest, and Munich airport showed rows of canceled flights.
As the industrial action was largely publicized, many commuters had switched to other modes of transport.
In Berlin, Simon, 31, a student, said he was expecting 30 minutes more of commuting time as he had to use two buses rather than the regional train which had been canceled, but he said he found “the strike legitimate” as “many people have mobilized for better working conditions.”
Retiree Gloria Bierwald, 73, said that “the strike goes too far.”
“What the strikers are asking for is relatively exaggerated. I am of the opinion that people should be satisfied when they have a job,” she said.
To prevent supply gaps, German Minister for Digital and Transport Volker Wissing had ordered states to lift restrictions on truck deliveries on Sunday, while asking airports to allow late-night takeoffs and landings “so stranded passengers can reach their destinations.”
Verdi represents about 2.5 million public-sector employees, while EVG represents 230,000 bus and railway workers.
The rare joint strike marks an escalation of an increasingly ill-tempered dispute over pay to blunt the effects of surging inflation.
Employers, mostly state and public-sector companies, have so far refused the demands, instead offering a rise of 5 percent with two one-off payments of 1,000 and 1,500 euros (US$1,076 and US$1,615), this year and next.
Verdi is demanding a 10.5 percent increase in monthly salaries, while EVG is seeking a 12 percent increase for those it represents.
Martin Seiler, head of human resources at state-owned rail company Deutsche Bahn, has described the nationwide strike as “groundless and unnecessary,” and urged the unions to return to the negotiating table “immediately.”
The German airport association, which estimated that about 380,000 travelers would be affected, said the walkout “went beyond any imaginable and justifiable measure.”
Employers have accused labor representatives of contributing to a wage price spiral that would only feed inflation, while unions say their members have been asked to bear the burden of the soaring cost of living.
Germans are struggling with high inflation — it hit 8.7 percent last month — after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent food and energy costs soaring.
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