Verdi uses public transportationstrike in Karlsruhe also on Saturday

Friday, April 19, 2024, 7:46 p.m.: The public transport strike in Karlsruhe is extended. Verdi had called another day of strike on Saturday at short notice, the union announced on Friday afternoon. The Karlsruhe transport company (VBK) once again undermined the strikes of its employees in this collective dispute by using replacement transport from the state company SWEG, Verdi justified. The SWR had already reported on this previously.

When asked, the VBK rejected the union's accusation. A spokesperson claimed that around 30 per cent of the buses normally used were driven by contract companies. The contracts do not explicitly provide for the possibility of canceling the services of the contracting companies on strike days and therefore not remunerating them. Rather, companies fundamentally have the right to be able to fulfill their contractual obligations. In this sense, a minimum offer is offered, which is still very far from the standard offer.

During the strike, VBK trams and buses will not run, as announced by the company. Passengers can also use the Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft trams, which serve many stops in Karlsruhe.

The union caused major restrictions at seven local public transport companies with strikes on Thursday and Friday. In addition to Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Heilbronn, Freiburg, Baden-Baden, Esslingen and Konstanz were also affected. The background is a collective bargaining conflict with the municipal employers' association (KAV). The next round of negotiations is scheduled for next week.

Public transport strikes in seven cities will continue on Friday

6:54 pm: Passengers on local buses and trains in several southwestern cities must again look for alternatives. The Verdi union's two-day strike at seven local public transport companies will continue on Friday. In addition to the state capital Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn, Freiburg, Baden-Baden, Esslingen and Konstanz are also affected, as the union announced at the beginning of the week.

High school graduates also have to adapt to restrictions like Thursday. Because the strike coincides with the start of written exams. According to the Ministry of Culture, history (bilingual in French) and Hebrew will be on the agenda in general secondary schools on Friday. Mathematics is tested in secondary vocational schools. There is a 30-minute tolerance limit for late arrivals.

Verdi is currently negotiating new collective agreements for local public transport companies in several federal states. The conflict, which has raged since late January, has largely paralyzed public transport in some parts of the country on several occasions. Bus and tram drivers in the cities went on strike for four simultaneous days starting in early February. Individual warning strikes were also held in several cities.

Public transport strikes have begun in the southwest

Thursday, April 18, 6:05 am: The Verdi strike on public transport has begun in seven major cities in Baden-Württemberg. The strike began as planned at 3 or 4 a.m., a union spokesperson confirmed Thursday morning. Passengers should prepare for significant restrictions. The work stoppages affect local public transport companies in Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn, Freiburg, Baden-Baden, Esslingen and Konstanz. All buses and trains there should stop.

Some graduates of general secondary schools will also have to look for alternatives to buses and trains on Thursday: because the strike coincides with the start of written exams. According to the Ministry of Culture, biology and biology (bilingual in English) are on the agenda.

But there should be no changes: “The Abitur and final exams will be held,” the ministry announced in advance. There is a 30-minute tolerance limit for late arrivals. Even if you arrive half an hour late, you will be able to take notes. Anyone who cannot attend school due to the strike will generally stay there at night. Therefore, whether the student could not have made reasonable efforts to get to school must be examined on a case-by-case basis.

The conflict between Verdi and the local transport companies has lasted since the end of January: after four rounds of negotiations, Verdi declared on March 11 that the negotiations with the municipal employers' association (KAV) had failed. Later, in a strike vote, around 93 percent of company union members were in favor of the possibility of indefinite strikes.

The next round of negotiations is scheduled for next week.

Public transport strikes on Thursday and Friday in seven cities

17:40: Passengers on local buses and trains face significant restrictions in several cities in Baden-Württemberg. The Verdi union has called for all-day strikes in seven municipal transport companies on Thursday and Friday. Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn, Freiburg, Baden-Baden, Esslingen and Konstanz are affected, as the union announced at the beginning of the week.

Some graduates of general secondary schools will also have to look for alternatives to buses and trains on Thursday: because the strike coincides with the start of written exams. According to the Ministry of Culture, biology and biology (bilingual in English) are on the agenda. There is a 30-minute tolerance limit for being late, she said.

Verdi is currently negotiating new collective agreements for local public transport companies in almost all federal states. The conflict, which has raged since late January, has largely paralyzed public transport in some parts of the country on several occasions. Bus and tram drivers in the cities went on strike for three simultaneous days starting in early February. Individual warning strikes were also held in several cities.

Collective bargaining dispute at Postbank: strike vote on indefinite strikes

Wednesday, April 17, 1:58 p.m.: In the Postbank collective dispute, there is now the threat of indefinite work stoppages following warning strikes. After the unsuccessful fourth round of negotiations with Deutsche Bank, the unions want to start a strike vote for around 12,000 employees with a Postbank collective agreement. According to the German Association of Bank Employees (DBV), so-called forced strikes could take place after May 3 if an agreement is not reached before that date. According to Verdi's negotiator, Jan Duscheck, there was progress in the negotiations in the fourth round. “The positions are still very far apart, especially when it comes to salary.”

Unions want to refrain from holding work stoppages during the elections. “However, no one should doubt the determination of the employees to ensure understanding after May 3, even with harsh forced strikes if necessary,” the DBV said. Before that, the collective bargaining parties want to meet for a fifth round of negotiations on April 30.

Verdi wants 15.5 percent more money, but at least a monthly salary increase of 600 euros. The union is also calling for the protection against dismissal to be extended until the end of 2028. Deutsche Bank wants to close up to 250 of Postbank's 550 branches until mid-2026 and also cut staff.

The DBV demands 14.5 percent more money for a period of one year and the introduction of a comprehensive corporate pension plan. Ahead of Tuesday's fourth round, unions ramped up pressure and repeatedly called warning strikes. Some customers stood in front of closed branches. The processing of banking transactions (back office) was also affected.

According to reports from banking circles, Deutsche Bank recently offered a two-stage salary increase totaling 10 percent over a period of 27 months. According to the union, the offer includes 6.4 percent more money in the first stage and 3.6 percent more in the second stage. Protection against dismissal should therefore be extended until June 30, 2027. There should be a company pension scheme for those who have not yet received it. According to the DBV, around 3,500 employees would benefit from this.

Verdi's negotiator, Duscheck, criticized the salary offer as being too low and the deadline too long. It remains well below the inflation of previous years. He “Consolidates the loss of purchasing power of Postbank employees in the long term and is therefore unacceptable.”

New Verdi strikes in several cities in North Rhine-Westphalia

17:32: Travelers will again have to wait for restrictions on local public transport in some parts of the country this Tuesday. The Verdi NRW union called its members to an all-day strike in certain warehouses in Geilenkirchen (Westverkehr), in the Rhein-Erft district (REVG), Mönchengladbach and Viersen (NEW Mobil), Gelsenkirchen (Bogestra), Essen ( Ruhrbahn), Lüdenscheid and Plettenberg (MVG), Bielefeld (Mobiel) and Gütersloh (Gütersloh city bus).

Cancellations and delays are expected on bus and tram lines, according to the union. Verdi NRW spoke of “effective strikes” with which they wanted to maintain pressure on businessmen. Already on Monday an all-day strike at the stations of the municipal transport companies in Krefeld, Düsseldorf and Bochum caused cancellations and delays, especially in bus transport. But most of the trams were running.

The collective dispute has to do with the working conditions of the approximately 30,000 employees of municipal transport companies. Verdi calls, among other things, for additional days off to ease the burden on staff and make jobs more attractive. A fourth round of negotiations with the company began in Dortmund on Monday.

Verdi calls for nationwide warning strikes at Postbank branches

Monday, April 15, 2024, 07:17 hours: Before the fourth round of negotiations in the Postbank collective dispute, the Verdi union extends its warning strikes. This Thursday, in addition to the employees of the service units (back office) and call center nationwide, they also call on branch employees to suspend their work. “This once again sends a clear signal that all employees support the demands for a significant improvement in wages and an extension of protection against dismissal,” Verdi negotiator Jan Duscheck said in Berlin. Starting this Tuesday there is a strike in the back office and call center.

Verdi, by stepping up warning attacks ahead of the round of negotiations in Frankfurt on April 16, was said to be reacting to the prolonging of talks. The announcement, a day and a half before the warning strike, was aimed at ensuring that customers could prepare in time. Temporary disruptions could occur, Duscheck said.

Verdi wants to get 15.5 percent more money for some 12,000 employees of the Deutsche Bank group through a Postbank collective agreement, but at least a monthly salary increase of 600 euros. The union is also calling for the protection against dismissal to be extended until the end of 2028. Deutsche Bank wants to close up to 250 of Postbank's 550 branches until mid-2026 and also cut staff.

Only on Monday did Verdi and the German Association of Bank Employees (DBV) increase the pressure on the collective dispute and ask employees in administrative offices and call centers across the country to stop working from Tuesday to Wednesday. “We are ready to make substantial concessions to Postbank employees,” Duscheck said.

You can read more information about warning attacks on the following pages.