Hundreds of thousands of public transport workers walked off the job on Monday, bringing the country to a halt.
RT: Airports, bus stops, and train stations were at a standstill across Germany on Monday, as more than 400,000 public transportation employees took part in a 24-hour strike. The workers are demanding pay rises to compensate for inflation, which has soared in Germany since last year.
The strike began at midnight and is set to end at midnight on Tuesday. Eight major German airports were affected, with the German Airports Association estimating that around 380,000 travelers were left stranded. Munich Airport shut down entirely from Sunday onwards, with all flights canceled and its terminal deserted.
Deutsche Bahn said on Monday that all long-distance services were canceled, while regional services were only restarting in some areas by Monday evening. Trams, buses, and metro lines were also affected throughout the country.
Freight trains were halted too, as was shipping traffic in and out of Hamburg, Germany’s largest port and Europe’s third-busiest.
The strike is the result of demands for wage hikes issued by several major trade unions. Verdi, a public services union representing some 2.5 million employees, seeks a pay rise of 10.5%, but no less than €500. EVG, which represents around 230,000 employees at Deutsche Bahn and some other bus companies, demands a 12% wage increase but no less than €650. MORE
Gee who would have thunk a 500% increase in energy cost would provoke a nationwide strike?
Howz that Nordstream option working out for you Germany, brought to you by the Pedo himself…