Railway employees in Germany initiated a strike on Friday, resulting in the disruption of the German railway services owing from a series of stoppages over pay.
According to Reuters, the walkout was organised by the German transport union, EVG, and intended to continue for eight hours. It was expected to affect the train network for the whole day.
The state-owned German rail way service, Deutsche Bahn, announced that all its long-distance connections would be cancelled until 1 p.m., and very few commuter trains would run.
According to the report, EVG which represents 230,000 workers, is seeking a 12 per cent wage increase or at least an additional 650 euros per month, whereas Deutsche Bahn has only offered five percent and one-off payments of up to 2,500 euros.
Germany has experienced some of the most disruptive strikes in decades since last year , as union pressure for wages to rise in line with living costs has increased due to soaring energy and food prices triggered by the war in Ukraine.
The challenging transition faced by sectors such as aviation, following the COVID-19 pandemic, has been worsened by high inflation, leading to labour issues.
Meanwhile, the Verdi union is also planning a walkout at four German airports – Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne Bonn, and Stuttgart – to coincide with Friday’s transport strike.
Around 700 departures were cancelled on Thursday as a result of a strike that occurred at the first three locations.
