Tuesday, February 24
Today, the trade union Verdi once more announced a strike in the local public transport sector on Friday, extending to Sunday morning in some regions, including Berlin. It is still open to whether all companies in Brandenburg will also go on strike on Saturday.
That means that there will be almost no trams, buses or U-Bahns running from 3am on Friday to 3 am on Sunday. S-Bahn and regional trains of Deutsche Bahn are not affected.
Ongoing negotiations since January between Verdi and BVG are not about salaries, but about working conditions. Verdi is demanding more vacation days and more vacation pay, as well as a minimum rest period of eleven hours between shifts for employees.
Verdi Deputy Chairman Christine Behle said in a statement, “Employers still do not understand that there can no longer be a functioning public transport service if we do not decisively improve working conditions now.” He added, “The colleagues urgently need relief, and the employers need a clear signal that we are determined to fight for our demands.”
BVG has condemned the strike as a “completely disproportionate escalation”. They say that the negotiations in Berlin would be within the agreed schedule and that escalating to a nationwide strike is done “without acknowledging the Berlin reality”. They also added that the union is insisting on “non-financeable maximum demands”.
