Train travelers in and to Germany will be faced with a significant handicap on Friday. The EVG union has called for warning strikes lasting several hours. In long-distance traffic, the day was “more or less over”, according to Deutsche Bahn (DB). There is also another strike in air traffic. These actions also affect Switzerland.
Between 3 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Friday morning, employees of all railway companies where negotiations are underway want to stop working, the union announced on Wednesday. The union wants to increase pressure on employers in the ongoing wage dispute.
“We are sending a clear signal that we do not want to hit the travelers but the companies by calling for a temporary warning strike in the early hours this time,” says Cosima Ingenschay, board member of the railway and transport union (EVG). .
Long-distance traffic has been hit hard
Nevertheless, Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance traffic in particular threatens to come to a standstill all day because the trains cannot be put on the route in the morning. Especially in long-haul traffic, the day was “more or less over,” said DB Group HR Director Martin Seiler in Berlin. “Anyone who can resist should do so.”
As the SBB said on Wednesday at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency, the size of the securities is not yet entirely clear. But they also expected “massive restrictions in Germany,” says SBB spokesperson Daniele Pallecci. The German trains running through Switzerland would certainly be replaced by Swiss trains from the border.
There is also a strike in air traffic
The day before, the Verdi union had also announced all-day work stoppages for Friday at the three airports in Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf and Hamburg in the areas of aviation security, passenger control, personnel and goods control and service areas.
Therefore, the Swiss airline had to cancel at least five flights from Hamburg to Zurich and two from Dusseldorf to Zurich and back, as Zurich Airport announced on request
Verdi is currently conducting a collective labor agreement dispute with the federal government and municipalities for the approximately 2.5 million employees in the public sector. It is a coincidence that air and rail transport will strike at the same time on Friday, EVG negotiator Kristian Loroch emphasized on Wednesday when announcing the actions.
Negotiations continue
Meanwhile, the EVG continues negotiations with the railway company Transdev. In the coming week, talks should also continue at Deutsche Bahn, which is being given particular attention.
In the negotiations with the industry, the employee representatives demand at least 650 euros more per month or twelve percent for the higher income groups and a term of twelve months. The union is currently negotiating in the second round with about 50 railway companies.
Deutsche Bahn has recently made it clear that it also considers a compromise in the level of public service for the rail industry conceivable. In the next round of negotiations on April 25 in Fulda, a conclusion could be reached quickly, the company announced on Sunday. The EVG, in turn, immediately rejected such a tariff solution for its own sector.
In the public sector, a proposal for a tax and royalty-free inflation adjustment in several phases of a total of 3,000 euros is on the table. From March 2024 there will be a basic amount of 200 euros and then a wage increase of 5.5 percent. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
