As of: March 12, 2024, 12:13 p.m
By: Simon Stock
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Commuters, students and travelers in North Rhine-Westphalia are facing uncomfortable times: there could soon be an indefinite strike on buses and trains.
Hamm - These are hard times for people who rely on buses and trains.
The strike-happy train drivers' union GDL paralyzes train traffic at Deutsche Bahn at short intervals, and there have recently been several warning strikes by Verdi in the public transport system in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Now there is even a threat of an indefinite strike on buses, subways and trams in the West.
Collective bargaining dispute escalates: There is a threat of indefinite strikes on buses and trains in North Rhine-Westphalia
The union declared the negotiations to have failed after the most recent round of talks in Dortmund and is now initiating a strike vote among its members on indefinite strikes.
If approved, according to
wa.de
, buses and trains could stop nationwide and without a time limit after Easter.
Commuters, students and travelers have recently experienced what it means when buses and trains do not run during several warning strikes.
Employees in around 30 NRW transport companies, including those in Cologne, Dortmund, Hagen, Essen, Münster, Bielefeld, Düsseldorf, Bonn and Hamm, were called on to take industrial action.
Warning strike or strike?
We explain the difference.
“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 local transport expert Peter Büddicker is quoted as saying these in a statement from the union.
And further: “We are now initiating a strike vote to decide on forced strikes in public transport.”
Verdi wants a ballot on an indefinite public transport strike in North Rhine-Westphalia
For Verdi, the collective bargaining dispute is not primarily about more money for the 30,000 employees in local public transport in North Rhine-Westphalia, but above all about a lower workload.
Verdi's demands for public transport employees are:
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Relief days for all public transport employees
Identical place to start and end work
Allowance from the first day in the event of temporary transfer of higher-value tasks
Shift and alternating shift allowance for driving services
100 percent annual special payment
Overtime from the first minute and in the individual level without deductions
Allowance for front craftsmen, group leaders, team leaders according to individual level
In recent weeks, the employers' association KAV NRW (Municipal Employers' Association of North Rhine-Westphalia eV) pointed to tight financial flexibility and a significant salary increase from March 1st, which was agreed a long time ago.
The association had stated that it was aiming for a conclusion at the two-day meeting as part of an overall package.