48-hour public transport strike announced in Berlin

BVG services will come to a standstill for 48 hours on February 20 and 21, as around 16.000 public transport staff go on strike in Berlin.

BVG workers to strike on February 20 and 21

German trade union ver.di has called on members working for Berliner Verkehrsbetrieben (BVG), the local public transport association in Berlin, to strike on February 20 and 21.

Strike action means that U-Bahn, bus and tram services across the city will come to a standstill starting at 3am on Thursday morning and finishing at 3am on Saturday morning. Services may also run irregularly in the hours after the strike ends. 

The industrial action will not impact S-Bahn and regional trains, since these services are run by Deutsche Bahn.

Why are BVG employees going on strike?

The 48-hour warning strike planned for February 20 and 21 is the third in recent weeks. Industrial action at the end of January saw BVG workers strike for around 10 hours, then for 24 hours in early February.

The strikes are recurring because ver.di is currently negotiating a pay rise from the BVG on behalf of around 16.000 employees.

Ver.di is demanding employees receive a gradual 750 euro per month pay rise over the course of 12 months and a Christmas bonus payment. In the latest negotiations, the BVG suggested a 17,6 percent pay rise over four years, but ver.di rejected the offer.

The union maintains that offers made by the BVG so far would ultimately amount to a real wage cut for employees. "That is why we are now increasing the pressure," said ver.di representative Jenny Arndt.

Ver.di and BVG bosses are to resume negotiations on February 26. The union has threatened unlimited strike action unless an agreement is reached by March 21.

Thumb image credit: Right Perspective Images / Shutterstock.com