Transportation Strikes Spread in Germany

Lufthansa employees go on strike, advocating for pay raises (WikiCommons).

Transportation strikes persist in Germany as the Ver.di union led a one-day strike on Tuesday, February 20 that affected airports across the country, reported AP News. These strikes severely impacted seven of the largest air travel hubs in Germany, including airports in Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne-Bonn, and Stuttgart. The majority of the striking union members work for the German airline company Lufthansa, whose main hubs are in Frankfurt and Munich. Deutsche Welle (DW) described that this strike significantly hindered Lufthansa’s flight capabilities, and Lufthansa said that they could only fly ten to 20 percent of the scheduled flights on the day of the strike. 

This strike was just a one-day “warning strike” that lasted from approximately 4 a.m. on Tuesday to 7 a.m. on Wednesday intended to force contract negotiations, wrote AP News. Despite the brevity of the strike, it made a large impact, as several hundred flights were canceled and thousands of passengers were affected.

Approximately 25,000 Ver.di members participated in the strike, vacating their jobs in check-in, aircraft handling, maintenance, and freight staff. These airport strikers were advocating for higher wages and better working conditions as they faced heightening inflation and worsening staffing shortages. The Ver.di union sought a 12.5 percent pay raise for all airport workers, or at least a 500-euro increase per month, as well as a 3,000 euro one-time payment to offset the effects of inflation. 

This is the second time Lufthansa workers have gone on strike in February, as they attempt to pressure Lufthansa’s management into raising wages and providing its workers with a bonus to help compensate for the severe impact of inflation, reported DW. “We have now proved twice that we can strike,” Ver.di representative Marvin Reschinsky told German news agency DPA. Additionally, Reschinsky suggested that since the protests have continued to occur, it would be wise for Lufthansa and the workers to negotiate an agreement immediately. 

The first strike, led by the Ver.di union in early February, saw 90,000 workers walk off the job and hundreds of flights canceled, according to AP News. Following this strike, there were discussions between the Ver.di union and Lufthansa on February 12. However, no agreement was reached, indicating that further strikes will likely occur in the future until transportation workers see the changes they are asking for.

This airport strike is only the most recent in a series of transportation strikes that have occurred across Germany since the beginning of 2024. The strikes have spanned air, rail, and local services and have heavily impacted Germany’s transportation system. 

The New York Times reported that another significant strike occurred over five days in January when thousands of train drivers walked out on their jobs for an increase in wages and better working conditions. This strike, the most significant in Germany in years, forced Deutsche Bahn, the main railroad operator, to impose an emergency schedule. According to Anja Bröker, a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn, the emergency schedule implemented a “‘massive reduction’” in service, with only one of the five long-distance intercity trains running. Additionally, reported to the Federation of German Industries, the strike could cost the industry nearly one billion euros.

The most contentious issue of the train strike remains the number of hours each driver is required to work each week. The GDL union for German train drivers has demanded that their current requirement of 38 hours per week be reduced to a 35-hour work week. Additionally, strikers are fighting for a 555-euro increase in monthly salaries, which equates to approximately an 18 percent increase. 

According to AP News, the train strike was initially scheduled to last six days but workers returned after five days in order to encourage negotiations. In response, Deutsche Bahn proposed changes with the GDL union, offering them 37-hour work weeks and a 13 percent increase in salaries, but the workers declined the offer. Still, the GDL union has agreed to halt any further strikes until March 3 to facilitate further negotiations. If an agreement is not reached, the strikes will likely continue. 

Following the series of transportation strikes, Germany has seen an increase in negotiations between companies and workers concerning worker benefits; however, there have not been many agreements reached. The lack of agreements indicates that these transportation strikes will continue across Germany until workers see the changes they are demanding.