Germany Comes to Standstill as Thousands of Transit Workers Walk Out
Since 3am Monday, bus, tram, and subway operations have ceased across nearly every German state—only Lower Saxony remains unaffected—forcing commuters into the cold to find alternative travel methods.
The Verdi trade union initiated the work stoppage after talks with municipal and state transport operators collapsed. Union demands include reduced work weeks, shortened shift lengths, extended rest intervals, and enhanced compensation for overnight and weekend hours. Cities cite severe budget limitations as a barrier to meeting these requests.
Verdi representative Frank Schischefsky justified the action's timing to NDR, stating that "we can't choose the timing of the wage dispute. Unfortunately, we can't wait for better weather."
Negotiations resume February 9, though Verdi has signaled additional strikes may occur if employers fail to meet worker demands.
Germany has experienced a wave of similar labor disruptions in recent years, with strikes impacting long-distance rail, regional train services, and major aviation hubs as workers push for salary increases and reduced hours.
The nation's economic backdrop intensifies the standoff. Germany endured consecutive recessions throughout 2023 and 2024, followed by prolonged stagnation in 2025.
Last December, Germany's central bank projected the country would record its most severe budget shortfall since 1990 reunification, driven by rising military spending and ongoing financial assistance to Ukraine.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz—former supervisory board chair of BlackRock Germany—has openly questioned his nation's work culture. Last month, he challenged why workers average "almost three weeks" of sick leave yearly and complained that "labor costs in our country are simply too high," calling on Germans to deliver "greater economic output… through more work."
In August 2025, the chancellor stated that the "welfare state as we have it today can no longer be financed with what we can economically afford." Merz conceded around that period that Germany's economy had entered a "structural crisis."
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