Disruption expected as public sector workers around Germany go on strike
Two German unions called a massive day of strike action across the public sector on Thursday, with transport services, Kitas, leisure centres and medical facilities all impacted.
The strikes were primarily taking place in North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and Berlin, where the unions have called on public sector workers to withdraw their labour for the day.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, commuters faced headaches on Thursday morning as transport workers joined the strike action.
Numerous towns across Germany's most populous state saw tram and bus stops standing empty in the early morning, with trains also running a severely reduced service.
According to reports in the regional Rheinische Post, Düsseldorf's Hauptbahnhof was awash with taxis as commuters sought alternative routes for getting to work.
One commuter said he had attempted to arrange to work from home on Thursday, but an important client meeting meant he was relying on a rental scooter to get to work instead.
READ ALSO:
- What to know about the transport strikes in North Rhine-Westphalia
- Germany's train strikes: What rights do you have as a passenger?
Most major cities in North Rhine-Westphalia are affected by the strikes - including Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Aachen and Wuppertal - though public transport is mostly running as normal in Cologne.
The transport strikes were accompanied by a spate of walk-outs in other public sector facilities across the state. Numerous day-care centres and clinics had also closed their doors for their day along with swimming pools, theatres and job centres.
Strikes in Berlin and Hesse
Industrial action is also expected to cause disruption in Berlin and Hesse on Thursday and Friday.
In Hesse, public administration services, swimming pools and hospitals are affected by the strikes.
Fulda General Hospital told Tagesschau that patients wouldn't have to worry about accessing medical care, though some operations due to take place on Thursday could be postponed.
Meanwhile in Berlin, employees of the Charité hospital, water companies, universities and refuse collection services, have been called to work stoppages.
Both on Thursday and Friday, there are likely to be limited bin collections in the city.
The civil servants' union DBB and service union Verdi - the two organisations behind the strikes - are hoping to up the pressure on the municipalities and federal governments in an ongoing dispute over wages.
In the current round of collective bargaining, Verdi and DBB are demanding a 10.5 percent increase in wages, but at least €500 more per month for the approximately 2.5 million employees in the public service of the federal and local governments.
Appealing to the public for understanding, Verdi emphasised that the wage demands were to compensate for inflation.
"Public sector workers need compensation for inflation in order to cover their living costs," explained Gabriele Schmidt, head of the union's region office in NRW. "They are just as burdened by the current price increases, especially in energy costs, as all citizens."
The next round of negotiations is scheduled to take place on February 22nd and 23rd in Potsdam.
READ ALSO: Why Germany could soon see widespread public sector strikes
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The strikes were primarily taking place in North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse and Berlin, where the unions have called on public sector workers to withdraw their labour for the day.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, commuters faced headaches on Thursday morning as transport workers joined the strike action.
Numerous towns across Germany's most populous state saw tram and bus stops standing empty in the early morning, with trains also running a severely reduced service.
According to reports in the regional Rheinische Post, Düsseldorf's Hauptbahnhof was awash with taxis as commuters sought alternative routes for getting to work.
One commuter said he had attempted to arrange to work from home on Thursday, but an important client meeting meant he was relying on a rental scooter to get to work instead.
READ ALSO:
- What to know about the transport strikes in North Rhine-Westphalia
- Germany's train strikes: What rights do you have as a passenger?
Most major cities in North Rhine-Westphalia are affected by the strikes - including Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Aachen and Wuppertal - though public transport is mostly running as normal in Cologne.
The transport strikes were accompanied by a spate of walk-outs in other public sector facilities across the state. Numerous day-care centres and clinics had also closed their doors for their day along with swimming pools, theatres and job centres.
Strikes in Berlin and Hesse
Industrial action is also expected to cause disruption in Berlin and Hesse on Thursday and Friday.
In Hesse, public administration services, swimming pools and hospitals are affected by the strikes.
Fulda General Hospital told Tagesschau that patients wouldn't have to worry about accessing medical care, though some operations due to take place on Thursday could be postponed.
Meanwhile in Berlin, employees of the Charité hospital, water companies, universities and refuse collection services, have been called to work stoppages.
Both on Thursday and Friday, there are likely to be limited bin collections in the city.
The civil servants' union DBB and service union Verdi - the two organisations behind the strikes - are hoping to up the pressure on the municipalities and federal governments in an ongoing dispute over wages.
In the current round of collective bargaining, Verdi and DBB are demanding a 10.5 percent increase in wages, but at least €500 more per month for the approximately 2.5 million employees in the public service of the federal and local governments.
Appealing to the public for understanding, Verdi emphasised that the wage demands were to compensate for inflation.
"Public sector workers need compensation for inflation in order to cover their living costs," explained Gabriele Schmidt, head of the union's region office in NRW. "They are just as burdened by the current price increases, especially in energy costs, as all citizens."
The next round of negotiations is scheduled to take place on February 22nd and 23rd in Potsdam.
READ ALSO: Why Germany could soon see widespread public sector strikes
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