The strike in the public transport sector, which began at 03:00 local time on Thursday night in Berlin, Germany, following a call by the Ver.di labor union, is continuing.
Transportation workers in the 6 German states, Baden-Württemberg, Bremen, Hessen, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate also began a 24-hour strike today upon Ver.di’s call.
While suburban trains affiliated with another company continued to operate, buses, subways and trams were cancelled, giving people in the country a hard time getting to their workplaces and schools. Many people have resorted to using bicycles, e-scooters, mopeds and taxis.
Berlin Transport Corporation (BVG) had recently offered its employees a 17.6 percent wage increase. However, Ver.di, which argued that the offer is inadequate, demanded a monthly salary increase of 750 euros for approximately 16,000 employees, a 13th salary payment, an additional payment of 300 euros for drivers, and an additional payment of 200 euros for shift workers. The parties will meet again for the next round of negotiations on February 26.
The strike will end tomorrow at 03:00
