On Friday (March 3, 2023) Germany will be confronted with significant restrictions in local public transport. Verdi has called for warning strikes that will affect public sector workers in several federal states. These strikes will coincide with a global climate strike by Fridays for Future next Friday. (Climate strike in Mainz on Friday)
Deputy Verdi boss Christine Behle announced:
“We want to combine the global climate strike day with the 200 actions of ‘Fridays for Future’ with public transport warning strikes. A turnaround in transport will not be possible without investing in employees as well.”
In the negotiations for millions of federal and local employees, Verdi and the civil servants’ association dbb are demanding an increase in income of 10.5 percent or at least 500 euros per month. No agreement was reached in the second round of negotiations last week and the employers’ offer was rejected as insufficient. The offer includes a pay increase of five percent in two steps and one-off payments totaling 2,500 euros. Behle criticized this as a “slap in the face to the employees”.
The negotiations have been accompanied by warning strikes in various cities for weeks. So the work in hospitals and garbage collection was stopped. The third and probably decisive round of negotiations is scheduled for the end of March.
Strikes in Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse
A spokeswoman for Verdi announced that the cities of Mainz, Ludwigshafen, Kaiserslautern and Trier will be affected by the announced warning strikes next Friday. The exact impact on public transport in these cities is currently unclear.
Verdi also announced that the underground and trams in Frankfurt would be completely shut down on the day of the strike. In Wiesbaden, the buses of the ESWE transport company are on strike, which will lead to considerable restrictions in bus traffic. In the city of Mainz, Mainz mobility is on strike and public transport will also be available here to a limited extent. The strike is also affecting buses and trains in Kassel, which will have a severe impact on local transport. Travelers should find out about alternative means of transport in good time and adjust their travel plans if necessary.
The warning strikes are part of the wage dispute in the public sector and are intended to underscore the unions’ demands for higher wages and salaries. Negotiations between unions and employers have so far remained fruitless, leading to an increase in warning strikes in various areas of the public service.
ESWE Verkehr Wiesbaden announces:
Due to the warning strike by the ver.di trade union at ESWE Verkehr on Friday, March 3rd, the state capital of Wiesbaden informed the e-scooter providers that more e-scooters may be set up at train stations and other central transfer points than usual during the strike .
Normally, the number of e-scooters per provider and location is limited. This measure is intended to enable more passengers who, for example, travel part of their journey by train, to use an electric scooter for the rest of the journey.
According to the current status, the rail connections (S-Bahn, Rheingau line and Ländchesbahn) within Wiesbaden or between Mainz and Wiesbaden as well as regional bus services will take place as planned on the day of the strike. All working passengers are also recommended to schedule a home office day if possible. The bicycle can also be an alternative for public transport passengers on the day of the strike, which is expected to be sunny and dry.
The Mainz mobility reports:
Traffic chaos could break out in Mainz on Friday, March 3, as the Verdi union called for a public transport warning strike. Mainzer Mobility (MM) staff will also take part, which means there will likely be no buses and trams throughout the day, from the start of operations to the end of operations at 4am the next day.
During the strike, the traffic center at the main train station in Mainz will also remain closed. Mainz mobility will be available again by telephone, in writing and on site from Saturday.
As an alternative to bus and train transport, MM recommends its range of bicycles. On Friday, customers can use the code “STREIK2023” in the meinRad app for a total of 30 free minutes (from March 1st to 3rd, redeemable only once per customer).
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