Germany's rail, air travel severely disrupted by strikes

Massive strikes by workers demanding more pay to keep up with the growing cost of living have paralyzed air and rail travel throughout Germany.  

The national airline Lufthansa's ground crew went on strike on Thursday, coinciding with the train drivers' walkouts. This caused numerousaircraft cancellations at Germany's largest airports, including Frankfurt, the airline's primary hub. 

According to Claus Weselsky, the leader of the German train union, the rail strike is expected to run until Friday. "This marks the start of a strike wave,” he informed reporters. 

Overall, about 80 percent of all long-distance trains, as well as regional and commuter trains in the country, were cancelled, leading to traffic jams in the streets and employees struggling to arrive on time for work.  

 Sinking Economy

It happens at the same time that the economic institution DIW Berlin issued a warning, predicting a recession at the beginning of the year due to the German economy not recovering as rapidly as anticipated.  

According to DIW, the first quarter GDP contraction is anticipated to be 0.1 percent, following a 0.3 percent decline in the economy during the last three months of 2023. The usual definition of a technical recession is two consecutive quarters of declining GDP. 

To help balance high inflation and manpower shortages, the German train drivers' union (GDL) requests that national train operator Deutsche Bahn decrease workers' weekly hours from 38 to 35 hours at full pay.  

The action comes after weeks-long talks between the two parties broke down last week. An earlier strike in late January, one of the longest in the state-owned company’s 30-year history, ended prematurely as an economic slowdown led to pressure on GDL to return to the negotiating table. 

Meanwhile, Lufthansa is also locked in disputes with worker’s union Verdi over pay. The union is demanding a 12.5 percent increase in pay over a year for the airline’s staff, as well as a one-off 3,000 euros ($3,268) bonus. 

Frankfurt airport, Germany’s busiest, was forced to cancel scheduled departures due to the strike, which will last until Saturday morning. 

“Fraport is asking all passengers starting their journey in Frankfurt not to come to the airport on March 7 and to contact their airline,” the airport’s operator said in a statement on Wednesday. 

The ADV airport association warned that strikes in the aviation sector, which also took place in Hamburg and Duesseldorf, were damaging Germany’s reputation as a centre for business and tourism.