As workers demand wage hikes in the face of brisk inflation, Germany’s transport workers are staging one of the largest walkouts in decades as Europe’s biggest economy reels from inflation, which reached 9.3 percent in February.
Germany, which was heavily dependent on Russia for gas before the war in Ukraine, has been particularly hard hit by higher prices as it scrambled for new energy sources. Its inflation rates have exceeded the euro-area average in recent months.
Airports and bus and train stations across Germany were at a standstill on Monday as 24-hour strikes called by the Verdi trade union and railway and transport union EVG got under way.
The The Eisenbahn- und Verkehrsgewerkschaft (EVG) union hailed the mass walkouts as a success.
“We assume that the employers will have understood this clear signal and will now finally present negotiable offers,” said EVG’s deputyn chairwoman, Cosima Ingenschay.
Also, a report from Aljazeera stated that Terminals were largely deserted as airports, including two of Germany’s largest in Munich and Frankfurt, suspended flights while rail services were cancelled by railway operator Deutsche Bahn.
Striking workers wearing yellow or red high-visibility jackets blew horns and whistles, held up banners and waved flags during protests.
The strikes meant millions of people in Germany had to adapt to a day without regular transport although a few routes remained open.
The Airports Association estimated that 380,000 air passengers were affected. In Frankfurt alone, almost 1,200 flights for 160,000 passengers were cancelled, and stranded travellers slept on benches. In Cologne, the lack of city trains prompted a dash for taxis.
Persistent cost pressures have pushed central banks to a series of interest rate increases. Policymakers have said it is too early to talk of a price-wage spiral.
Verdi is negotiating on behalf of about 2.5 million employees in the public sector, including in public transport and at airports, while EVG represents about 230,000 employees at Deutsche Bahn and bus companies.
In the hours running up to the strikes, both sides dug in their heels with union bosses warning that considerable pay hikes were a “matter of survival” for thousands of workers.