Ver.di chair Frank Werneke said that his union is calling for 120,000 workers to walk out. Those will include security and ground workers at all German airports except Berlin, local transit employees in seven of Germany’s 16 states, harbour employees and workers on highways - the latter a measure that Werneke said is likely to affect some tunnels.
“This strike day will have a massive effect - we are aware of this and it is also necessary,” Werneke said. He added that it’s important to make clear before the next round of negotiations “that our demands have broad support in the workforce.”
EVG counterpart Martin Burkert said that his union is calling for 230,000 workers at Germany’s main railway operator, government-owned Deutsche Bahn, and others to walk out. He said people travelling on Sunday should take care “to be at their destination in a timely manner” because some of the affected shifts could start on Sunday evening.
Deutsche Bahn personnel chief Martin Seiler called the EVG strike announcement “completely excessive, unnecessary and disproportionate.”
“We assume that the country will be paralysed on Monday, and that as good as nothing will be possible in rail transport,” he added. Deutsche Bahn said that it won’t operate any long-distance trains and most regional trains won’t run either.
Ver.di is engaged in a series of pay negotiations, notably for employees of Germany’s federal and municipal governments. In that case, it is seeking a 10.5 per cent pay raise. Employers have offered a total of 5 per cent in two stages plus one-time payments of 2500 euros ($2700).
It already has staged a series of one-day walkouts at individual airports and in public services, including local transit.
EVG is seeking a raise of 12 per cent. Deutsche Bahn also has offered a two-stage raise totalling 5 per cent plus one-time payments.
Germany’s annual inflation rate in February was 8.7 per cent.
- AP with additional reporting.
