There is a threat of an indefinite strike on buses, subways and trams in the West. The Verdi union in North Rhine-Westphalia voted on indefinite strikes.
97 percent of union members among the approximately 30,000 employees voted in favor of such an industrial action. A date for the start of the bus and train strike has not yet been given. The union declared the negotiations to have failed after the most recent round of talks in Dortmund. The ballot starts on March 19th and will last until April 9th. If approved, buses and trains could remain stationary across the board and without a time limit in the week after the Easter holidays. The strike could begin from April 10th, said Verdi local transport expert Peter Büddicker. However, he did not rule out the possibility that strikes could be averted. For Verdi, the collective bargaining dispute is not primarily about more money, but above all about a lower workload. “In the negotiations, we tried to build a bridge between flat-rate relief days and individual relief for employers when it comes to the issue of workload days. The employers have torn down this bridge,” Verdi said.