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Berlin in traffic chaos: Warning strike paralyzes local transport!
The Verdi union is calling for a warning strike in Berlin local transport on January 22nd, 2025. Demands: 750 euros salary increase and more.
Berlin in traffic chaos: Warning strike paralyzes local transport!
Next Monday, January 22nd, 2025, there will be significant restrictions on local transport in Berlin. The Verdi union has called for an all-day warning strike, which will result in buses, trams and subways in the capital largely coming to a standstill. This warning strike is a reaction to the so-called “delay strategies” of the board of the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG).
Verdi criticizes the fact that the employers did not make an offer in the first round of negotiations. The union is demanding a monthly salary increase of 750 euros, as well as a 13th monthly salary, a driving allowance of 300 euros and a shift allowance of 200 euros. In total, the claims amount to 250 million euros annually. The BVG's personnel costs were around 820 million euros in 2023.
Statement from the BVG
Jenny Zeller-Grothe, BVG's human resources director, also described the demands as “unfinanceable”. However, she admitted that there is a lot of catching up to do when it comes to pay. The BVG currently has a 37.5-hour week with full salary compensation. The last pay round took place before the Ukraine war and the associated high inflation.
A total of six negotiation dates are scheduled until April 10th, with the next round of talks scheduled for January 31st. The BVG wants to present an offer at this meeting. It should also be mentioned that Verdi had already called for warning strikes twice last year to improve working conditions. The agreement in April 2023 included, among other things, more turnaround time, vacation pay and additional vacation days, such as the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported.
Additionally report rbb24 that the collective bargaining between Verdi and the BVG failed. Verdi members were called upon to evaluate the first round of collective bargaining and the BVG has not yet submitted an offer, but recognizes the need to catch up on payments. Verdi justifies the demands with a “de facto real wage loss” since the last pay round in 2021. Berlin ranks last in Germany in terms of pay.