Strike in Dortmund: DSW21 buses and trains stop for days!

Strike in Dortmund: DSW21 buses and trains stop for days!

On Thursday, February 13, 2025, local public transport in Dortmund will come to a standstill. The ver.di trade union has announced a full -day warning strike for this day, which begins at around 3:30 a.m. in the early morning and will last until Friday, February 14, 2025. Almost all buses and trains of the DSW21 fail that day, which will have a significant impact on the mobility of the citizens, such as 24rhein reported

All regular light rail and bus lines as well as the night express lines are affected. No trips will also take place on the lines in the neighboring cities of Castrop-Rauxel and Schwerte. The ExpressBus line X13, which runs between Dortmund and Waltrop, will also fail. Customer centers such as the "Petrikirche", "Hörde Bahnhof" and "Castrop depot" remain closed throughout the strike.

background of the strike

The strike is part of the current collective bargaining for the public service, in which the unions ver.di require 8% more wages, but at least 350 euros per month. Higher surcharges for stressful activities as well as an increase in training allowances and internship fees for 200 euros per month are also on the list. In addition, three additional free days should be granted and the introduction of a "my-time account" to improve the time sovereignty, reports Bus-und-bahn.de .

The first round of negotiations took place on January 24, 2025, which is why ver.di put pressure on the employer again in order to obtain an offer that could avoid strike. A second round of negotiations will take place on February 17 and 18, 2025 in Potsdam, followed by a third round from March 14 to 16, 2025.

context of the collective bargaining

A total of around 2.3 million employees in the federal and municipalities are affected by the collective bargaining. The existing collective agreement ends on December 31, 2024, which illustrates the urgency of the negotiations. In view of the high lack of personnel in the public service, the unions not only require an increase in salaries, but also improvements in working conditions to make the sector more attractive. It should be emphasized that around 500,000 jobs in the public service are vacant, which exacerbates the problem, such as Oeffterer-dienst-news.de communicated.

For commuters and travelers, the strike means that they have to switch to alternatives. The trains of the Deutsche Bahn and other railway companies will continue to drive as planned and can be used as a means of transport during this period.