Germany’s Public Transport Halts as Workers Go on Nationwide Strike

(MENAFN) Millions of commuters across Germany faced major disruptions on Monday as a nationwide strike by public transport workers brought buses, trams, and subways to a near halt.

According to reports, the Ver.di union called on around 100,000 employees across roughly 150 municipal transport companies to stop work for 24 hours, beginning at 3 a.m. local time (0200 GMT). The strike affected nearly all states except Lower Saxony.

The morning rush hour was particularly chaotic in major cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Munich, where most bus, subway, and tram services were canceled.

Ver.di negotiator Serat Canyurt defended the action, stating that the union had no other option. “Our priority is to make progress at the negotiating table,” Canyurt told local media, adding that employers had ignored the union’s demands for the past two months.

The union is pressing for shorter working weeks and shifts, longer rest periods, and higher pay for night and weekend work. In several states, including Bavaria, Brandenburg, Saarland, and Thuringia, Ver.di is also negotiating wage increases with municipal transport operators.

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