Millions of people in Germany don’t have it easy at the moment. There is always a threat of massive strikes in local, long-distance and air transport in the next few days. Collective bargaining between the unions is deadlocked. The conflict is now escalating, particularly between Deutsche Bahn and the GDL union.
There is a threat of strike chaos before Easter. The unions could also strike during the Easter holidays. These begin in many federal states on March 24th. Good Friday is on March 29th this year.
Chaos threatens before Easter – travelers should plan ahead
German railway
No long-distance or regional trains. The dispute over wages and working conditions at Deutsche Bahn has reached a new level of escalation after talks with the GDL union were broken off without results. As a result of the failure of negotiations, passengers are facing a new wave of strike action. These will paralyze long-distance and regional transport as well as urban S-Bahn networks, such as in Berlin.
The GDL wants to go on a 35-hour strike. It starts on Wednesday at two o’clock for freight traffic and from Thursday at two o’clock for passenger traffic. The first trains for travelers will start rolling again from Saturday at 2 p.m. After that, the union wants to strike in waves. These will be announced shortly.
There could be another bang before Easter. GDL boss Claus Weselsky wants to ramp up the labor dispute “in the next few days and weeks”. However, the following also applies: a strike is unlikely during Easter. There could be industrial action before and after Easter. Travelers should be flexible.
Lufthansa
Passenger aircraft will also remain on the ground for the next few days – specifically on Thursday and Friday. Because Verdi is organizing the next wave of warning strikes. This time the primary goal is again passenger flights. And it could get worse. After last week’s strikes in technology and freight had only a minor impact on passenger traffic, the union stepped up and declared the longest strike to date in the passenger sector.
The union is currently leaving it open whether there will be a strike during the Easter holidays. The same applies here: Travelers should remain flexible and ideally not travel with large luggage. In the worst case, it doesn’t arrive at the holiday destination.
Public transport
There may be no work on public transport in the next few days.
Subways, trams and buses only came to a standstill in many federal states at the beginning of the month. Numerous transport companies in Germany went on strike. The Verdi union wants to build up pressure for the upcoming collective bargaining, which will take place from mid-March. “We can be even tougher and we should solve it at the negotiating table,” says Verdi’s negotiator.
This means for vacationers: In many cities they have to switch to taxis or rental cars.