Strike chaos: buses and trains stand still-tens of thousands are affected!

Strike chaos: buses and trains stand still-tens of thousands are affected!

In Germany there is again a large -scale warning strike in the public service. This strike begins on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, and lasts until Thursday. In the cities of Frankfurt, Wiesbaden and Marburg in particular, considerable restrictions in local transport are to be expected. The underground and trams stand still in Frankfurt, while buses and S- and regional trains continue to ride. Bus traffic is fully stopped in Wiesbaden and Marburg. The daycare centers in these cities that remain closed are also particularly affected.

like the Tagesschau reported in Frankfurt already demonstrated 8,000 people for the demands of the union Verdi. The strike in Wiesbaden begins on Tuesday at 4 a.m. and ends in the night from Thursday to Friday. In Offenbach, on the other hand, no influence on bus traffic is expected to be expected. All city buses fail in Marburg on Tuesday, but bus traffic will be resumed on Wednesday.

additional effects and emergency care

The garbage disposal in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden has to expose during the strike, while in Hanau the garbage disposal is stopped throughout the week. Affected clinics, such as in Frankfurt-Höchst, Hanau and Kassel, have set up emergency supply. This is a reaction to the escalation of the collective bargaining dispute, which affects numerous employees in the federal and municipalities.

The basis for the current arguments is the collective bargaining dispute in the public service. The Verdi union calls for a tariff increase of 8 % or at least 350 euros more per month. In addition, higher surcharges for stressful working hours and an increase in training allowances are required. Another wish is to grant three additional days off. Employers represent these claims as unavailable. The next round of negotiations will take place on March 14th in Potsdam, which is particularly important with regard to the ongoing strikes.

future perspectives

The collective bargaining for public service 2025 has already started, with the first round of negotiations ended in January 2025 without agreement. A second round in February also brought no result. Around 2.3 million employees at the federal and municipalities are affected by the negotiations that aim at an existing collective agreement that expires at the end of 2024. In order to tighten the situation, there is a major lack of staff in the industry that puts many employees under pressure.

The unions have also announced that they will present their demands in autumn 2024. A transfer of the tariff results to federal officials and a reduction in the weekly working hours are also on the agenda. Currently, the collective bargaining for the approximately 2.8 million employees are one of the largest collective agreements in Germany and are in the shadow of a tragic incident that happened in Munich on February 13 when a vehicle drove into a crowd and left numerous injuries.

The situation in the public service remains tense, and the upcoming negotiations could be crucial for the future equipment and salary of the employees. Despite the polite demands of the unions, the VKA (Association of Local Employers) sees them as unrealistic, which also complicates the negotiations.