Major disruption hit local public transport in Germany on Friday as strike action affected municipal bus and train services across the country.
Strikes in the capital at Germany’s largest local transport operator, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), began at 3 am (0200 GMT). The major Verdi union called on local transport workers in nearly all 16 federal states to walk off the job throughout Friday and Saturday.
In many cities, local transport services are to be suspended for much of the day. Some local transport operators announced that they are running only emergency schedules.
Thousands of workers on strike
In the western state of Hesse, a Verdi spokesman said around 5,200 public transport workers were called on to strike in several cities including Frankfurt.
In Bavaria, Germany’s largest state by area, the walkout has halted many buses, trams and underground services in 13 cities, including Munich and Nuremberg.
Services were also disrupted in the neighbouring states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, where roughly 2,500 workers in total have been called on to stop work.
Municipal transport largely came to a halt in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony, including cities like Cologne and Dresden.
No strikes are currently planned in the states of Lower Saxony or Baden-Württemberg.
Second nationwide strike in ongoing negotiations
The strike marks the second nationwide action in an ongoing round of labour negotiations. During the previous strike on February 2, local public transport in large parts of Germany came to an almost complete standstill.
In the ongoing talks – generally conducted with municipal employers’ associations in each state – the Verdi union is pushing to improve working conditions, including shorter weekly hours, longer rest periods and higher bonuses for night and weekend work.
In some states, negotiations are also focused on wage increases.
According to Verdi, the talks have made little headway recently, with employers likewise complaining about a lack of progress. It remains unclear when agreements between employers and the union might be reached. The talks are proceeding differently across regions, but none appeared close to a deal recently.
The access to Potsdamer Platz subway station is seen blocked at the start of a two-day warning strike in local transport. The Verdi trade union has called on its members to go on strike on Friday and Saturday. Michael Ukas/dpa