With rail workers going on strike at the same time as airport workers, Germany’s citizens have been inconvenienced a great deal.
Services of Deutsche Bahn, the national railway company of Germany, controlled by the government, came to a halt, with only few commuter trains running.
The EVG, the German trade union of transport and railway workers, which represents about 2.3 lakh workers, has been demanding a 12 per cent hike in wages, or a minimum of 650 euros or $715 extra per month.
Deutsche Bahn, on the other hand, has offered five per cent hike and one-off payments of up to 2,500 euros
At the same time, airport workers also went on strike under the union, Verdi, at Hamburg, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, and Cologne/Bonn. This led to delays and about 700 flights and one lakh passengers being affected.
Workers have been struggling to keep up with the rising inflation caused by the war in Ukraine, which has led to rise in prices of food and energy. The COVID-19 pandemic also added to the labour issues in the aviation space.
In late March, EVG and Verdi had called 24-hour walkouts with participation from about 3.5 lakh workers.
Of late, Germany has witnessed many strikes by workers protesting their inability to handle the rising cost of living. The unions will be negotiating with the federal government and local authorities to try and resolve the wage issue.
