BVG wants to stop working
Berlin’s local transport is threatened with another strike from Friday
January 29, 2024, 11:46 a.m
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The joy over the GDL’s prematurely ended strike only lasted for a short time, at least in Berlin. There is a threat of work stoppages at the BVG from the end of the week. The Verdi union has called for this. Other cities could suffer a similar fate.
According to media reports, the employees of the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) want to stop work on Friday. The Verdi union wanted to call for a warning strike that day, reported the RBB and the “BZ”. Details are not yet known, Verdi wants to comment later today on planned labor disputes in local public transport throughout Germany.
The union complained last week that the first rounds of collective bargaining for employees in local public transport in 15 federal states – Bavaria is not included – had failed to produce any results. However, solutions must be found quickly to relieve the burden on employees. Labor disputes are therefore planned.
90,000 employees in local transport
According to Verdi, over 130 municipal companies and a total of around 90,000 employees in cities and districts are affected by the collective bargaining round. Collective bargaining began in December; Since January 1st there has been no obligation to make peace.
According to Verdi, the collective agreements in the individual countries differ in many ways and each collective bargaining area has developed its own demands – but relief issues are always in the foreground everywhere. According to rbb, the Verdi union wants, among other things, to ensure that all employees receive 33 days of vacation without staggering. The union is also demanding 500 euros in holiday pay per year, an extended turnaround time of ten minutes on all routes, an increase in rest periods between two transport services to twelve hours, the granting of one day of holiday for every 100 hours of night work up to a maximum of six days and the reduction of unpaid breaks in transport services .
These discussions are expressly not about higher wages or working hours per se for BVG employees. A reduction to 37.5 hours per week had already been negotiated earlier – it will come into force in July. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for February 15th.