Friday, January 30
A call for nationwide strikes by Verdi threatens extensive restrictions on many public transport routes in Berlin, including buses and trams. The U-Bahn will also be affected.
Regional trains will run as usual, as will Berlin’s S-Bahn network, as they are not covered under the municipal local transport system. However, Berlin’s BVG network will be on strike, as well as the Regiobus in Potsdam and the Stadtverkehrsgesellschaft in Frankfurt (Oder), alongside ten other companies throughout Germany.
The current round of collective bargaining is for almost 100,000 employees in 150 urban transport and bus companies. The strike intends to put pressure on these employers. Verdi calls for better working conditions, including a reduction in weekly working hours and shift times, an extension of rest periods and higher surcharges for night and weekend work.
However, this strike comes after a week of ongoing transport challenges, especially for the trams in Berlin, following extreme weather conditions. BVG has criticised the announcement and is considering legal action, claiming that “hours-long stoppage once again endangers tram traffic in Berlin.”
