Rail transport workers in Germany are again called to strike, from Sunday evening to Tuesday evening, to weigh on wage negotiations in a context of high inflation, announced Thursday the union of railway workers EVG. This is the third strike by railway workers in the country since the end of March. The movement is to begin Sunday evening at 22:00 local (20:00 GMT) and end in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, said the leaders of the EVG union, denouncing, at a press conference, "the lack of significant progress" in discussions with employers.
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Previous 24-hour work stoppages at the end of March and April paralyzed rail transport in Europe's largest economy, massively affecting the national operator Deutsche Bahn (DB). "Employees' patience is now really running out," said Cosima Ingenschay, collective bargaining manager at the stag do. "We are forced to strike for 50 hours to show how serious the situation is," she continued.
Wage strikes on the rise
The union defends the interests of some 230,000 employees of some fifty rail transport companies in the country, the main one being Deutsche Bahn. The EVG demands an increase of 12% over twelve months for these employees, or a minimum increase of 650 euros gross per month, and considers the proposals of the employers insufficient. Although inflation slowed to 7.2% in April in Germany, far from last October's peak of 8.8%, it remains very high.
This call to stop work is part of a context of strong social mobilization in Germany, where strikes for wages have multiplied since the beginning of the year, from schools to hospitals and the Post Office. In the public services sector, state and municipal employees obtained, at the end of April, after tense discussions punctuated by walkouts, a gradual increase in their remuneration to compensate for inflation, including a salary increase of 5.5% from March 2024 and an anti-inflation bonus of 3,000 euros.
