German rail union EVG threatens nationwide January strikes over staff safety

After a train conductor was killed during a ticket inspection earlier this year, the German Railway and Transport Union (EVG or Eisenbahn- und Verkehrsgewerkschaft) is pressuring the government to pass tougher safety legislation or face nationwide rail strikes.

EVG union threatens January rail strikes

German railway union EVG has been calling on the government to amend legislation to include “harsher penalties for attacks on train staff”, according to reports by DW. The move comes after ticket inspector Serkan Çalar was fatally injured on a regional train in Rhineland-Palatinate in February this year.

If the government doesn’t amend the law in 2026, then the EVG will “paralyse operations in January” with nationwide strikes, said union leader Martin Burkert. 

The EVG works council plans to refuse approval to workers' January duty rosters, meaning “regional transport staff across Germany would not be able to start their shifts.” The potential strikes could disrupt millions of public transport passengers across Germany.

Push for safety for emergency workers

The amendment is part of draft legislation that would impose harsher penalties for attacks on emergency workers such as paramedics, firefighters, doctors, and nurses. 

Speaking about the government’s response, Burkert expressed how "a train conductor was killed in the line of duty six months ago, and politicians offered sombre expressions and grand pronouncements, but no action.” While German politicians may “have forgotten Serkan. We haven’t,” Burkert continued.

Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger recently stated that “Safety on trains is not a fringe issue. It is a fundamental prerequisite for a functioning public transport system." Around eight train officers are attacked each day, the chairman of DB Regio’s works council explained, and “enough is enough!”