Unsatisfied with the results of ongoing wage negotiations, German unions Ver.di and EVG are calling for the first time a 24-hour warning general strike on Monday, March 27, particularly affecting transport in Germany. An unprecedented event in Germany, which demonstrates, also in this European country, the determination of trade unions to obtain substantial wage increases to compensate for the fulminant increase in inflation. The services trade union, Ver.di, and the rail transport union EVG have jointly launched an appeal to the 2.5 million employees in the federal and municipal public services, as well as to the 230,000 employees of the bus transport companies and from rail transport, calling on them to declare a 24-hour national strike on Monday. Apart from long-distance, regional trains, RER and buses, commercial airports, some river services and motorways will also be affected by the strike. “It’s a strike move,” warned Martin Burkert, leader of the EVG union, with a massive impact. As with the German Post general strike earlier this month, the prospect of a rail shutdown has alarmed Deutsche Bahn, which faces a situation where on Monday no long-distance and almost no regional trains will run. circulate. Important disturbances will also be maintained on Tuesday, March 28.
Deutsche Bahn called for negotiations
Martin Seiler, Deutsche Bahn’s human resources director, strongly criticized the national strike call and called on the EVG union to return to the bargaining table. “We need quick solutions for employees and passengers”, given that the next official meeting is only scheduled for the end of April. So far, the proposals made by the Deutsche Bahn group, as well as those made by the federal and municipal public authorities, are far inferior to the demands of the unions. EVG is asking for a salary increase of 12% and a minimum bonus of 650 euros per month, while Ver.di is asking for a salary increase of 10.5%. In the case of public services, where a new round of negotiations is scheduled for Monday, March 27, the requests are similar. Deutsche Bahn promises a salary increase of only 11%, but it includes a bonus of 2,500 euros tax-free.
