The Ver.di trade union has announced new strike action in local public transport (metro, buses, trams) for next week. The “Fridays for the Future” organization is now coordinated by its side.

According to the union, which represents 90,000 workers in the sector, the demonstrations will take place on different days in each state, culminating on March 1, a day when “Fridays for the Future” are also planning large rallies across the country.

“The message sent by the workers on February 2 (note: the day of the previous strike to the local mass media) was obviously not sufficiently understood and the collective negotiations in the states remain fruitless,” said Ver.di vice-president Christine Belle and he stressed that, “in order to get some movement in the negotiations, it is now necessary to put renewed pressure on the employers”. According to her, the workers in 80 cities and 40 regions participated in the previous mobilization. The only state where no strikes are planned is Bavaria, where the contracts are still in force.

Among the workers’ demands are a reduction in working hours without financial loss, longer rest periods between shifts and more holiday days with an increase in holiday pay. Ver.di explains that it aims to make MMM jobs more attractive, as there is a severe shortage of staff. By 2030, 110,000 new employees will have to be hired in order to make the transition to the new type of transport successful, the union estimates.

The flight attendants are also on strike

The Independent Flight Attendant Organization (UFO) is also heading for strike action, declaring that collective negotiations with Lufthansa have failed. The union, which represents 18,000 cab workers, has called on its members to vote on strike action. “We don’t like to go down the path of escalation, but we have no other alternative since Lufthansa is not meeting our legal demands,” said union president Joachim Vázquez Burger, noting that during the pandemic workers in the sector received significant concessions in order to secure their positions.

Mr Vasquez Burger also warned of a “summer of chaos” and blamed Lufthansa, citing “inadequate planning” and a “dramatic lack of staff”. In recent weeks Ver.di has already called two strikes by airport ground staff, leading to the cancellation of thousands of flights, with collective bargaining there also remaining fruitless.