As of: February 29, 2024, 6:34 a.m
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A sign with the inscription “Warning Strike” hangs on a BVG bus depot on Müllerstrasse.
© Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
Since early Thursday morning there have been almost no buses, trams and subways in Berlin due to a warning strike by the Verdi union.
The strike started as planned when operations began, said Berlin Verdi negotiator Gordon Günther on Thursday.
The warning strike is scheduled to last until Friday at 2 p.m.
Passengers have to prepare for the cancellation of almost all local transport in the capital.
Berlin - At around 9 a.m. the strikers gather for a rally in front of the headquarters of the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG).
It is not yet possible to estimate how many strikers are expected, said Günther.
The S-Bahn and Ringbahn are not affected.
Regional and long-distance rail transport is also not on strike and runs according to the usual timetable.
With the strike, Verdi wants to increase the pressure on the BVG in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute over better working conditions.
The sticking point in the negotiations in Berlin is the demand for an extension of the so-called turning times on all lines.
Verdi wants to increase the time between reaching the final stop and turning back in the opposite direction from the current four to ten minutes.
The BVG rejects this.
The union is also demanding holiday pay and more vacation days.
This round of collective bargaining in Berlin is not about higher wages.
The employers have canceled the third round of negotiations planned for this Friday, citing the industrial dispute.
The next regular hearing date is scheduled for March 11th and 12th.
Verdi is also calling for strikes in other federal states.
The union is currently negotiating new collective agreements nationwide in parallel.
Only in Bavaria is there no collective bargaining round because the contracts there are still running.
The rounds differ in each federal state.
In some it is about higher pay, but in most it is primarily about better working conditions.
dpa