In almost all of Germany, a strike notice called by the Verdi union kicked off early Friday morning across the public‑transport sector. About 150 transport companies and bus operators, employing roughly 100,000 people, are involved.
Many municipal transit operators have halted all bus and train services for the entire day, and several bargaining areas have extended the disruption to Saturday. In Lower Saxony, where a no‑strike clause remains in force until the end of March, no strike action takes place.
Verdi is negotiating working‑conditions for municipal transport staff, focusing on relief from long weekly hours and shift duties, and on higher wage premiums for night and weekend work. In Bavaria, Brandenburg, Saarland, Thuringia, and for the Hamburg Hochbahn, the talks also cover higher wages and salaries. Verdi reports that the negotiations have made “little progress, even though four rounds have already taken place in certain areas”.
