Last updated: 15.01.2024, 04:49 a.m.
By: Carmen Mörwald, Kai Hartwig
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New year, new strike: From this week onwards, there may be massive blockades in the railways, agriculture and transport. What is known so far.
Update January 8, 5:53 a.m.: Numerous farmers and hauliers will walk off the job on Monday. In view of this, commuters must be prepared for disruptions to road traffic. In addition to rallies, state farmers' associations want to disrupt traffic with their protest. In the early hours of the morning, the first videos and pictures on social media show how countless tractors and trucks are arriving in Berlin.
From Monday (8 January), farmers and hauliers want to stop working. © Pia Bayer/dpa
The train drivers' union GDL announced its mega-strike from Wednesday (10 January), during which time an emergency timetable is to take effect. "The emergency timetable ensures only a very limited number of trains in DB's long-distance, regional and S-Bahn services," it said in an online information. Passengers should therefore postpone non-essential travel. Tickets that have already been purchased can also be used at a later date.
Mega strike imminent: Deutsche Bahn expects "massive impact"
Update from January 7, 20:19 p.m.: The train drivers' union GDL has called for a strike lasting several days from Wednesday in the wage dispute with Deutsche Bahn. From January 10 at 2:00 a.m. to January 12 at 18:00 p.m., the workers were to stop work, the union announced on Sunday evening in Frankfurt am Main. At DB Cargo, the strike will begin on Tuesday at 18:00 p.m.
Deutsche Bahn says it expects the GDL strike to have a "massive impact" on rail operations and announced that it would provide information "as quickly and comprehensively as possible". Deutsche Bahn sharply criticized the new GDL strike and announced that it would immediately appeal to stop it. An urgent application for a preliminary injunction will be filed with the Frankfurt am Main Labour Court, the railway said. Farmers and hauliers will go on strike as early as Monday (8 January).
Mega strike day: Farmers and hauliers stop work – rail from Wednesday (10 January) at the earliest
First reported on 5 January: Frankfurt – It has long been no secret that there is dissatisfaction in Germany. Now it is not only the railways that want to express their displeasure and go on strike, but also farmers and freight forwarders in the transport industry. If all three parties carry out their threats, Germany is expecting a mega-strike week from Monday (8 January), which could cause chaos in road and rail transport in particular.
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Originally, only the Union of German Locomotive Drivers (GDL) had announced a strike. Shortly before Christmas, the GDL confirmed that there would be no strikes until January 7, 2024. However, the promised "Christmas truce" is supposed to be over the following day. Claus Weselsky, the head of the union, speaks of "strikes of three to a maximum of five days". In an interview with the Rheinische Post, he emphasizes that an indefinite strike is possible, but "not okay with regard to customers and the economic consequences."
Initially, strikes were expected from Monday due to the "Christmas truce" regulation. However, these will probably not come before Wednesday (10 January), as the annual conference of the German Civil Service Association (dbb) will take place in Cologne on Monday and Tuesday.* And the GDL is one of the member societies of the dbb. As dbb chairman Ulrich Silberbach told the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, he had already agreed with GDL boss Weselsky before Christmas "that no strikes will take place during the meeting in Cologne". Accordingly, travel to and from the dbb annual conference is ensured. "What happens after that is no longer in my hands," Silberbach added.
In response to the federal government's austerity plans, members of the German Farmers' Association (DBV) want to start a week of action as early as 8 January. Among other things, rallies and rallies have been announced. The week of action is to culminate in a large demonstration in Berlin on 15 January. The transport industry wants to join the protests.
"We will start the week of action on 8 January with demonstrations in the state capitals," says the Federal Association of Road Haulage, Logistics and Waste Management (BGL). Here, too, the reason is increasing frustration: After the truck toll increased in December 2023, freight forwarders and their employees are demanding relief for tolls and diesel fuel. In addition, more money is to be made available for roads, bridges and parking lots. How and where exactly the strike will take place is still unclear.
This is what the mega-strike means for private individuals
The good news for all private individuals is that a general strike, which is being talked about on social networks, is almost impossible because the legal hurdles are too high. "The case law in Germany clearly states that strikes are not possible for political goals," Ernesto Klengel of the Hugo Sinzheimer Institute for Labour and Social Law told the German Press Agency. "General strikes for political goals are also out of the question."
It is not yet possible to estimate what effects the mega-strike will have due to the incomplete information available. It is expected that the DBV's action week will cause regional disruptions to road traffic, as tractors can cause traffic jams simply because of their size. It cannot be ruled out that farmers will block roads in isolated cases. (cln/kh with dpa)
*A previous version of this article mentioned that the rail strike would start on Monday (8 January). However, due to an agreement with the German Civil Service Association (dbb), the GDL will apparently not strike until Wednesday (10 January).