German public transport strike enters second day
Public transport workers across most of Germany began a second day of nationwide strike on Saturday, with local buses, trams and metro services largely suspended in many areas.
The industrial action, launched Friday morning by the powerful Verdi union, has virtually paralyzed local transport in most Länder. The two-day strike is expected to continue in most areas until late Saturday night and could continue into the early hours of Sunday.
Workers from the states of Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg do not participate.
In ongoing collective negotiations – conducted with each state’s municipal employers’ associations – Verdi is pushing for improved working conditions, including shorter weekly hours, longer rest periods and higher bonuses for night and weekend work.
In some states, negotiations also cover salary increases.
This strike marks the second national action in a series of ongoing collective negotiations. During the previous strike on February 2, local public transport was almost paralyzed in large parts of Germany.
According to Verdi, negotiations have made little progress recently and employers are also complaining about the lack of progress. It remains unclear when a deal could be reached.
