Chaos is caused at German airports by the warning strike of more than 350,000 workers in railways, airports, buses, ports and motorways.
Ahead of a new round of negotiations with employers at the end of April, the trade union Ver.di and the Railway Workers’ Union EVG are demanding wage increases to counter the effects of inflation.
The operation of the airports of Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Karlsruhe, Magdeburg and Munich is paralysed, where the strike is 48 hours long and started on Sunday with the cancellation of all scheduled flights. In the other states there are no similar mobilisations today, as different contracts are in force, which are not currently under negotiation.
Workers at the ports are also taking part in the strike, but also at the motorways, where many tunnels are closed. In ten of the sixteen states, trucks were banned yesterday in order to limit the problems in supplying the market caused by the strike, while on many of the country’s roads there have been serious problems since early morning, as workers have been forced to use their private cars for their journeys. However, employers have given special permission for today to work remotely where possible.
“The willingness to participate in the strike is very high, as is the workers’ anger against the employers who are keeping them stagnant,” said Christian Loroch, a member of the EVG’s negotiating team. At least 50 protest rallies are planned for today, he said, across the country.
Ver.di is demanding pay rises of 10.5 percent, or at least 500 euros a month, and bigger bonuses for airport staff working night shifts and holidays. “The strike is necessary in order to make it clear to employers that we will insist on our demands. A substantial pay rise is a matter of survival for many thousands of workers,” said Ver.di head Frank Vernecke.
