Germany: Local public transport workers to go on strike on Friday
January 29, 2024
Local public transport workers in all German federal states except Bavaria will go on strike this Friday, the Verdi union announced on Monday.
According to the union, more than 90,000 workers from more than 132 local companies operating buses, trams and underground services are expected to join the strike.
Long-distance and regional trains operated by Deutsche Bahn, which went on strike last week, will not be affected.
What are Verdi’s demands?
Verdi discussed that the workload of employees and staff shortages in public transport have increased and that work pressure is growing. The union launched the round of negotiations in early December, presenting demands in all 16 federal states.
In essence, Verdi’s demands are all about relief and issues such as reducing weekly working hours at full pay, shorter shifts, extending rest periods, more holidays or additional days off.
The issue of easing the burden on workers is the most important in the current round of collective bargaining, Verdi vice-president Christine Behle said on Monday in Berlin.
“In some collective agreements, for example, we require a reduction in weekly working hours with full salary compensation; we’re talking about a 35-hour week,” he said.
The backdrop to this is “considerable staffing shortages at many companies,” with 20 to 30 percent of positions unfilled in some cases, Behle said.
Source: DW
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