Strike in Germany: – Major traffic chaos threatens today in Austria

The Verdi trade union and the Rail and Transport Union (EVG) want to increase the pressure on employers in collective labor agreements with a 24-hour labor dispute. On the railways, long-distance traffic will be canceled completely and regional traffic largely. Almost all German airports went on strike, but not Berlin Airport. Waterways and ports and the motorway company are also affected. Munich airport was already on strike on Sunday and all twelve flights between Munich and Vienna were canceled.

Train connections badly affected
The strike will also have enormous consequences in Austria and lead to extensive traffic disruption. All train connections via the Deutsches Eck are affected. A shuttle service will be set up every two hours. Trips can take up to three hours longer. Trains to and from Germany will be shortened or cancelled.

Flights are cancelled
Many flight connections with the neighboring country will also be cancelled. According to information from Vienna Airport, all flight connections between Vienna and Munich, Frankfurt, Nuremberg and Stuttgart will be canceled on Monday. There are also individual cancellations of flight connections to and from Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Cologne.

There are flights to and from Germany that may be affected by the strikes in Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Linz and Klagenfurt. All travelers are advised to check with their airline or tour operator regarding their air travel. The homepages of the respective airlines and airports also provide an overview of current arrivals and departures.

Difficult situation on Tuesday as well
The effects of the warning strike should still be felt on Tuesday. In Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance traffic, for example, it will take some time before the ICE and IC trains are back where they are needed. The train said train cancellations are still to be expected, especially early in the day. Effects are also possible at the airports on Tuesday.

More strikes possible
It is unclear whether more strike days are imminent. Today’s strike is a long-planned but initially one-off action by the unions involved. With the warning strike, Verdi wants to increase the pressure on the municipalities and the federal government. If both parties now agree in Potsdam, the EVG would no longer be able to carry out any further railway strikes in solidarity with Verdi anyway.

But given the confrontational situation, further strikes in the public sector are far from over. Verdi has called some 120,000 workers in the transport and infrastructure sector to a labor dispute – including in municipal ports, at locks, at the water and shipping administration and at the highway company.

The head of the German civil service association dbb, Ulrich Silberbach, has warned of a further escalation of union action. “Either we tie the knot and find an agreement, or we face a new wave of escalation and strikes,” said Silberbach of the German press agency in Berlin. Verdi boss Frank Werneke defended the warning strike.

Higher wages demanded
The EVG is negotiating about 230,000 employees at 50 train and bus companies, for whom they want twelve percent more wages, but at least 650 euros more per month. Verdi is negotiating for the approximately 2.5 million public sector employees in the federal and local governments, including those who work in local transportation and airports. The union demands 10.5 percent more, but at least 500 euros per month. The third round of negotiations is scheduled for Monday to Wednesday in Potsdam. The two parties are currently still far apart, but an agreement in the following days cannot be ruled out.