German trade union ver.di has announced that public transport workers in Berlin will go on strike on February 10, 2025. Here’s what you need to know:
Following another unsuccessful negotiation round, employees at the BVG, the local public transport association in Berlin, will strike on February 10.
The strike will begin at 3am on Monday and last until 3am on Tuesday. The BVG has warned that U-Bahn, tram and bus services may remain unreliable in the hours shortly after the strike ends and into rush hour on Tuesday morning.
S-Bahn and regional trains will continue to run as normal. These services are operated by Deutsche Bahn and are not impacted by the BVG strike.
Representing 16.000 BVG employees, ver.di is demanding the public transport association increase wages by 750 euros per month for all employees, pay alternating shift workers a 300 euro allowance and offer a 13th month's salary - a common type of Christmas bonus in Germany.
The BVG claims these demands are not financially viable and has proposed staggered wage rises of 2,5 percent, 4,5 percent und 7 percent. Ver.di argues that these increases would mean real wage losses when compared to pre-inflation wages and prices.
“We started negotiations in order to achieve an improvement in our salaries. The fact that the Executive Board now wants to cut our wages in real terms makes our colleagues really angry,” ver.di representative Janine Köhler wrote in a press release.
Ahead of the last BVG strike on January 27, another ver.di representative, Jenny Arndt, explained that warning strikes are always a last resort after long, unfruitful negotiations. Arndt asked passengers to be patient as negotiations continue. If the transport association and union do not reach an agreement, further strikes can be expected.
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