“Lie miles apart”
Union calls for a warning strike in local transport in North Rhine-Westphalia
February 13, 2024, 11:07 a.m
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Verdi is calling on local transport workers in North Rhine-Westphalia to go on strike. The union says they are “miles apart.” In contrast to the last strike, traffic in the rest of Germany should run normally.
The people of North Rhine-Westphalia will once again have to adapt to disruptions in local transport. This Thursday, employees of numerous local transport companies in the country will be called on strikes all day long, the union in Düsseldorf announced. The following day, collective bargaining negotiations for municipal transport employees in Bochum are scheduled to enter their second round.
“We are currently still miles apart. While we want to relieve the burden on employees and thus strengthen public transport, employers are relying on extended working and living hours. This will only permanently worsen the shortage of skilled workers!” says Peter Büddicker, Verdi industry coordinator for buses and trains .
According to the union, local transport companies in Düsseldorf, Cologne, Bonn, Dortmund, Bochum, Oberhausen, Münster and Bielefeld, among others, have been called on strike. The union most recently called for a warning strike in local transport at the beginning of February. At that time it took place nationwide. Only Bavaria was not affected by the industrial action. Around 90,000 employees were called to take part in this warning strike.
Negotiations are taking place in all affected federal states at the same time. In terms of content, however, the demands are very different. In most countries it is about the so-called collective agreements. Above all, they regulate the working conditions for employees. At the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), for example, Verdi is demanding, among other things, longer turning times, holiday pay and more vacation. “The burden on employees and the staff shortage in public transport have increased more and more, and the work pressure is getting greater and greater,” the union said at the time.