Some 100,000 transportation workers walked off the job in Germany Feb. 2, bringing subway trains, buses and trams across the country to a halt in one of the largest labor actions they’ve carried out there in years. The 24-hour strike by Verdi, the second-largest union in Germany, followed months of stalled contract talks.
The union is fighting for shorter work hours, more rest time between shifts, higher pay for night and weekend work and wages that keep up with inflation.
The bosses haven’t budged. The next round of negotiations is set for Feb. 9. The union has said that further strike action could follow if there isn’t progress.
Germany’s economy, the third largest in the world, has barely grown since 2022. With unemployment now close to 3 million, the government has sought to put the blame on workers. With “an exaggerated work-life balance, prosperity cannot be maintained,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in January, complaining that German workers call in sick for work too often, and in general, suffer from a poor work ethic.