Major strike in Germany causes traffic chaos

The 24-hour strikes were called by the Verdi union and the EVG rail and transport union, after months of high food and energy prices in Europe's major economies .

The main train station in Munich, Germany, is deserted on March 27, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Train stations were largely empty as airports, including Germany's two largest in Munich and Frankfurt, suspended flights. Train services were also canceled by the railway operator Deutsche Bahn. Striking workers wearing yellow or red vests blew whistles, held banners and waved flags in the protests.

Airport association ADV estimates that 380,000 air passengers were affected. In Frankfurt alone, nearly 1,200 flights carrying 160,000 passengers were canceled, leaving stranded travelers sleeping on benches. In Cologne, the lack of trains has overwhelmed taxi services.

Workers are calling for pay rises to cushion the blow of inflation, which hit 9.3% in February. Germany, which relies heavily on Russian gas, has been particularly hard hit by rising prices as it scrambles for new energy sources.

Persistent cost pressures have pushed central banks to a series of interest rate hikes. The Verdi union represents about 2.5 million public sector workers, including in public transport and at airports. Meanwhile, the EVG union negotiates for about 230,000 employees at Deutsche Bahn and bus companies.

Salary conflict

In the hours before the strike, neither side made any concessions, with union bosses warning that pay rises were a "matter of life and death" for thousands of workers.

In contrast, Deutsche Bahn bosses said: “Millions of passengers who rely on buses and trains are suffering from this excessive and unnecessary strike.”

Verdi is asking for a 10.5% pay rise, which would mean a salary increase of at least 500 euros per month, while EVG is asking for a 12% increase or at least 650 euros per month.

Stranded passengers expressed both sympathy and displeasure at the strike action. "Yes, it's reasonable, but I've never been on strike in my life and I've been working for more than 40 years. And in France, they strike all the time for something," said passenger Lars Boehm.

Protesters called by Germany's Verdi union over a pay dispute in Hamburg, Germany on March 27, 2023. Photo: Reuters

The sudden pay rise will squeeze the fiscal space of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government, complicating already tough negotiations over the federal budget. And employers are warning that higher wages for transport workers will lead to higher fares and taxes.

A German government spokesman said on Monday that politics should stay out of wage talks, while Interior Minister Nancy Faeser expressed confidence that a solution would be found this week.

EVG chairman Martin Burkert warned that further strikes were possible, including during the Easter holidays.

Wave of strikes across Europe

The strikes in Germany on Monday were part of a wave of strikes that have swept across leading European countries in recent months, including in France and the UK – where millions of transport, health and education workers are also calling for higher wages.

Meanwhile in France, in recent days, protests against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reforms have sparked the worst street violence in years.

Commerzbank chief economist Joerg Kraemer said the economic impact of the strike in Germany on the transport industry would cost the industry up to 181 million euros a day.

“The strike would damage Germany’s image as a business location,” he said. And Bundesbank head Joachim Nagel said last week that Germany needed to avoid a “vicious spiral between prices and wages”.

Huy Hoang (DPA, Reuters, DW)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/dinh-cong-lon-o-duc-khien-giao-thong-roi-vao-hon-loan-post241087.html