Climate strike and tariff protests: Bonn is head on Friday!

Climate strike and tariff protests: Bonn is head on Friday!

On Friday, February 14, 2025, the city of Bonn will be the scene of several demonstrations, which will significantly impair both public transport and traffic flows. The city administration announced this because the actions are organized by the environmental protection movements "Fridays for Future" and the Verdi union. The strike in local public transport begins in the early morning and will continue until Saturday morning, which presents many commuters with challenges.

The first demonstration, a climate strike of "Fridays for Future", starts at 10 a.m. at the Bonn Hofgarten. Organizers expect around 200 participants, including prominent Bonn Bundestag members such as Katrin Uhlig and the group leader Katharina Dröge. This campaign aims to create political awareness of climate protection shortly before the Bundestag election.

Verdi-Kundungen and traffic impairments

At the same time, a second rally by Verdi Cologne/Bonn/Leverkusen will take place at the depot of Stadtwerke Bonn in Beuel, which also begins at 10 a.m. and expects around 200 participants. A third demonstration, which focuses on the "tariff round of public service", starts shortly after 10 a.m. in Bonn's Nordstadt, at the Kaiser-Karl-Ring, with around 120 participants. All demonstrators will meet at the Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz at around 12 p.m.

After this large accumulation, the participants move to the Bonn bus station until around 2 p.m., where a final rally is planned. The strike not only has symbolic importance, but also practical consequences, since local public transport will almost complete a standstill during this time.

public transport and effects on mobility

The Stadtwerke Bonn (SWB) and the Rhein-Sieg-Verkehrsgesellschaft (RSVG) are badly affected by the strike. From 3 a.m. there are no more buses or trains. All night bus lines and the service center remain closed. It is noteworthy that subcontractors provide a significant part of the traffic service; Around 40 percent of the trips to RSVG and around 30 percent at SWB are handled through these service providers. Some stops are therefore not approached during the protests.

to be positive is that Deutsche Bahn and other rail traffic companies are not affected by the strike. The regional trains between Bonn and Cologne are driving on schedule. Cologne Verkehrs-Betriebe AG (KVB) also announces that its tram lines 16 and 18 continue to drive the usual path, although eight double trains of the SWB have to be.

The event for the work of work and the associated protests lies in the outstanding tariff agreement in the public service. Verdi demands fairer working conditions and a better fee, while the countries have not submitted a offer in this round of negotiation, which favors the call to warning strikes, especially in Göttingen. Numerous employees already took part in the warning strike there on November 23, 2023.

The strike this Friday in Bonn is part of a larger protest that is worn in different cities and by various professional groups. The unions mobilize their members in order to stand up for their rights and interests and thus set an example that goes far beyond the local borders.