Germany: Rail union chief calls for massive strike
The head of the EVG (Railway and Transport Union), which is joining the massive Verdi services union to push for a pay rise for its members amid rising inflation, on Friday defended the planned action.
Ahead of Monday’s day-long strike, which is expected to close rail and other transport services, EVG boss Martin Burkert said: “No, we’re not going too far.”
What the union boss said
“It’s definitely historic that we have the momentum at the same time that we’re in difficult salary negotiations,” Burkert said.
He pleaded for the understanding of the traveling public, saying, “we know that, of course, we will affect and impact many travelers.”
Burkert noted that the unions now had no choice but to strike to get their demands met.
He also expressed the hope that employers would take a lesson from the strike and come up with a serious offer.
With a huge debate going on over the right to strike, the boss described it as a “sharp sword” but insisted unions were using it responsibly.
He compared the relatively few strike days in Germany with other countries. He noted that the current strike waves in France were political in nature, something completely different in Germany.
The two unions are focusing on wage demands and labor contracts, he said. He also accused the state-owned railway company Deutsche Bahn of making a “false offer”.
A suitable offer for talks is expected by unions in the coming weeks ahead of talks with employers scheduled for April 24-25, he said.
Hard-hit rail and air hubs
The strike planned for Monday is aimed at paralyzing operations across all rail traffic and at many airports.
Major hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, along with overland transport, will see normal operations suspended. Major highways will also be affected by the crippling strike.
According to Deutsche Bahn, there is no way to operate in emergency hours for long-distance trains on Monday.
Assperson said: “it’s no use traveling a short distance with an Intercity or a spoken ICE”. That’s because the train would have to stop somewhere on its journey as workers at the signal box would be on strike, a spokesman for the company in Berlin said.
Source: DW
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