Living in Germany: Endless travel strikes, asparagus Automaten and more diversity
From an agreement finally being reached among striking public sector workers, to a vending machine dispensing a very seasonal food, we look at the latest news and culture in Germany.
Another round of transport strikes
A huge wave of transport strikes hit Germany once again last week, with Verdi staging a walkout for security staff at multiple Berlin airports and EVG calling a nationwide rail strike.
In the case of Verdi, the dispute was over antisocial hours and overtime pay for airport staff who often find themselves working regular shifts on evenings, weekends, and big public holidays. For rail union EVG, it was mainly about the fact that wages just haven’t kept up with the rate of inflation in recent years.
The double whammy of airport and rail strikes on Friday meant thousands of passengers had to delay their journeys - and those unlucky enough to have a domestic flight cancelled had little chance of doing the trip by train instead.
But there was light at the end of the tunnel. Following late night talks on Saturday, employers and unions reached a "good and fair wage agreement", Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement.
Under the agreement, some 2.5 million public sector workers will see their wages increase by 5.5 percent or at least €340 per month from March 2024. From June 2023, a tax-free inflation compensation payment of €3,000 is to be paid in several instalments.
However, no deal has yet been reached for private sector workers - many of whom work at airports - meaning travellers could still see a wave of Flughafen strikes this summer, such as those at Berlin and Hamburg airports on Monday.
Tweet of the week
We all love Spargelzeit, but a vending machine just for asparagus? That’s next level.
In case you're absolutely desperate for some Spargel, a Dorf in my neighbourhood now has an Automat for just that! 🤩🍽🇩🇪#Spargelautomat #Spargelzeit pic.twitter.com/6DdpBYmoqM
— Norwegian Frankfurter (@ScandiTina) April 20, 2023
Where is this?
Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Robert Michael
Though the weather’s been more than a bit changeable lately, we’ve also been treated to some gorgeous sunny days where it feels like everything is in springtime technicolour. This picture of orange tulips in Dresden's Theaterplatz was taken during a burst of sunshine on Friday.
Did you know?
You may have heard that Germany is becoming much more diverse, but did you know that almost half of all first generation immigrants have actually arrived here since 2013?
According to the latest microcensus, there are around 20.2 million people living in Germany right now who are either first generation migrants or the children of two foreign parents. A good 6.1 million of these came to Germany in the last ten years - and there were numerous reasons for making the switch.
READ ALSO: How many people in Germany has a 'immigration history' in 2023?
Obviously, refugees fleeing war-torn countries like Ukraine and Syria made up a big proportion of the new generation of immigrants - but Polish and Romanian migrants were also high up on the list. Just under a third of people who came to Germany since 2013 came for asylum purposes, while around a quarter came for work, 23 percent to be reunited with their family, and eight percent for study or further education.
Those in charge of Germany’s pension fund will also be pleased to know that the latest generation of newcomers is far younger than the rest of the population. People who came here in the last ten years had an average age of 29.9, compared to the average age of 47 among non-migrants.
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Another round of transport strikes
A huge wave of transport strikes hit Germany once again last week, with Verdi staging a walkout for security staff at multiple Berlin airports and EVG calling a nationwide rail strike.
In the case of Verdi, the dispute was over antisocial hours and overtime pay for airport staff who often find themselves working regular shifts on evenings, weekends, and big public holidays. For rail union EVG, it was mainly about the fact that wages just haven’t kept up with the rate of inflation in recent years.
The double whammy of airport and rail strikes on Friday meant thousands of passengers had to delay their journeys - and those unlucky enough to have a domestic flight cancelled had little chance of doing the trip by train instead.
But there was light at the end of the tunnel. Following late night talks on Saturday, employers and unions reached a "good and fair wage agreement", Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement.
Under the agreement, some 2.5 million public sector workers will see their wages increase by 5.5 percent or at least €340 per month from March 2024. From June 2023, a tax-free inflation compensation payment of €3,000 is to be paid in several instalments.
However, no deal has yet been reached for private sector workers - many of whom work at airports - meaning travellers could still see a wave of Flughafen strikes this summer, such as those at Berlin and Hamburg airports on Monday.
Tweet of the week
We all love Spargelzeit, but a vending machine just for asparagus? That’s next level.
In case you're absolutely desperate for some Spargel, a Dorf in my neighbourhood now has an Automat for just that! 🤩🍽🇩🇪#Spargelautomat #Spargelzeit pic.twitter.com/6DdpBYmoqM
— Norwegian Frankfurter (@ScandiTina) April 20, 2023
Where is this?
Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Robert Michael
Though the weather’s been more than a bit changeable lately, we’ve also been treated to some gorgeous sunny days where it feels like everything is in springtime technicolour. This picture of orange tulips in Dresden's Theaterplatz was taken during a burst of sunshine on Friday.
Did you know?
You may have heard that Germany is becoming much more diverse, but did you know that almost half of all first generation immigrants have actually arrived here since 2013?
According to the latest microcensus, there are around 20.2 million people living in Germany right now who are either first generation migrants or the children of two foreign parents. A good 6.1 million of these came to Germany in the last ten years - and there were numerous reasons for making the switch.
READ ALSO: How many people in Germany has a 'immigration history' in 2023?
Obviously, refugees fleeing war-torn countries like Ukraine and Syria made up a big proportion of the new generation of immigrants - but Polish and Romanian migrants were also high up on the list. Just under a third of people who came to Germany since 2013 came for asylum purposes, while around a quarter came for work, 23 percent to be reunited with their family, and eight percent for study or further education.
Those in charge of Germany’s pension fund will also be pleased to know that the latest generation of newcomers is far younger than the rest of the population. People who came here in the last ten years had an average age of 29.9, compared to the average age of 47 among non-migrants.
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