Many trains are likely to be canceled or delayed on Friday.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin In the collective bargaining dispute at the railways, the EVG union has largely paralyzed rail transport nationwide. The union has called on its members to take industrial action on Friday from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. There is a strike at Deutsche Bahn (DB) and around 50 other bus and train companies. The S-Bahn, regional and long-distance traffic are affected. This means that travelers and weekend commuters have to be prepared for train cancellations and delays. A DB spokesman said in the morning that DB’s rail traffic was at a standstill due to the strike by the railway and transport union (EVG). The situation at the train stations is currently calm.
“Not a single train will run in this republic,” EVG collective bargaining officer Cosima Ingenschay announced a few days ago. DB expects massive effects in the afternoon and wants to gradually resume long-distance traffic from 1 p.m. Nevertheless, nationwide impairments of the strike on the ICE and IC trains are to be expected until the early evening hours.
Rail freight traffic is also at a standstill, the DB spokesman explained. Traffic jams formed in the marshalling yards. DB Cargo will do everything to get operations up and running again as soon as the strike ends. Trains relevant to supply – for example for energy supply – are prioritized.
The DB had criticized the strike shortly before the next negotiation date with the EVG next Tuesday as an escalation. The union negotiates for around 230,000 employees at around 50 train and bus companies and insists on twelve percent more wages, but at least 650 euros more per month. The DB had offered five percent more and one-off payments of up to 2500 euros and now signaled an improved offer based on the arbitration recommendation in the public sector.
Shortly before the weekend, not only train passengers but also air passengers have to be prepared for impairments. The Verdi union has called on aviation security personnel at Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne/Bonn and Stuttgart airports to go on strike all day.
The EVG and Verdi for the public sector went on strike in parallel on the same day at the end of March, paralyzing almost all public transport in Germany. According to the EVG, the simultaneous labor dispute is a coincidence this time.
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