Rail Workers Strike in Germany

Rail transport in Germany has come to a standstill this morning due to a warning strike called by the EVG union representing railway and transport workers. According to a representative of EVG, employees from around 50 railway companies in the country joined the protest starting at 03:00 AM, aiming to improve working conditions. This was reported by the Russian service of Deutsche Welle.

Long-distance train services operated by Deutsche Bahn (DB) are expected to resume at 1:00 PM local time; however, DB has warned of potential disruptions until the evening. Local train strikes, on the other hand, will conclude earlier, by 11:00 AM.

Meanwhile, the Ver.di union, representing service sector workers, continues its strike, which began the day before at the airports in Hamburg, Cologne-Bonn, and Düsseldorf, now joined by Stuttgart and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden airports. The EVG union is demanding a 12% increase in wages for German railway workers, with a minimum increase of 650 euros per month. Ver.di is seeking an increase in night pay, holiday, and overtime compensation for airport staff.

No agreement was reached during negotiations held on April 11 and 12. The next round of talks is scheduled for April 27-28.

The last major strike by transportation workers in Germany took place at the end of March.