As of: February 2, 2024, 9:07 a.m
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In more than 80 cities there have been almost no buses, subways and trams running since the early hours of the morning.
© Robert Michael/dpa
One warning strike follows the next, all of them affecting traffic: after the airports, public transport is disrupted.
Almost all population groups are affected, from employees to students.
Berlin/Düsseldorf - Millions of people use buses, trams and subways every day to get to work, school, university or for leisure activities.
Today, in most cities, the bike or the car is probably the better choice - because after train cancellations and canceled flights, buses, trams and subways have remained in depots in many places since early morning.
The Verdi union has called on public transport workers to go on warning strikes to fight for better working conditions.
In some federal states it is also about more money.
An overview of the most important questions:
What works and what doesn't work?
In more than 80 cities there have been almost no buses, subways and trams running since the early hours of the morning.
Only a few buses, which are already operated by private subcontractors on public transport routes, can run.
Rail transport such as regional trains, S-Bahn and ICE trains are not affected by the warning strike.
According to its own information, the Verdi union has called on around 90,000 employees in more than 130 local public transport companies nationwide to go on a warning strike.
Strikes are mainly all day long.
The work stoppages began with shifts starting between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.
For companies with night shifts, they could extend into Saturday.
At the largest local transport company in Germany, the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), the strike is scheduled to end at 10 a.m. in the morning.
There are no strikes in Bavaria, where there are currently no collective bargaining negotiations for local transport.
Where can I find information about outages?
The municipal transport companies provide information about the warning strike and its effects on the Internet and in their apps.
They also refer to the timetable information.
Information should also be displayed at stops with display boards.
Can I miss work or school because of the warning strike?
No.
The employee bears the so-called travel risk.
Early agreements with the employer are definitely an advantage - for example about a possible switch to home office for that day or about reducing overtime.
In such cases, students are still required to attend school, as the school ministry in North Rhine-Westphalia announced.
Parents have to ensure that the children come to school.
Some schools in Berlin and Brandenburg, for example, wanted to bring forward the certificate distribution planned for today by one day.
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What is the collective bargaining dispute about?
In most federal states it is about working conditions: Verdi demands shorter working hours without financial losses, longer rest periods between individual shifts, more vacation days or more vacation pay.
This is intended to relieve the burden on employees and make the job more attractive.
Employers in North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, argue that an additional day off would ultimately lead to an additional burden on existing employees.
They also criticize the warning strike shortly after the start of negotiations as excessive.
Higher wages and salaries are also being negotiated in Brandenburg, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.
In Brandenburg, Verdi is demanding 20 percent - but at least 650 euros - more for employees.
According to Verdi, the term of the collective agreement should be one year.
A new collective agreement for the transport companies is being negotiated in Hamburg.
Are there a risk of further public transport warning strikes in the coming weeks?
Yes, further warning strikes are likely, especially in those federal states where higher wages are being negotiated.
It is also quite possible that Verdi will start another nationwide coordinated industrial action.
Further warning strikes are only completely ruled out in a federal state once new collective agreements have been signed there.
However, there have not yet been any concrete announcements for further warning strikes in public transport.
dpa