In many cities in Saxony-Anhalt nothing worked in local public transport on Friday morning. Buses and trams stood still because of a warning strike. The workers are demanding higher wages.
Halle (dpa/sa) - Public local transport employees stopped work in several cities in Saxony-Anhalt on Friday. During the warning strike by the Verdi union, buses and trams stood still in Halle, Magdeburg, Dessau and the Burgenland district in the morning, a spokesman for the union said on Friday. The background to this is the ongoing negotiations on the collective wage agreement. Verdi is demanding an hourly wage increase of 1.50 euros for public transport employees and an increase in the wages of trainees by 150 euros per month.
In Magdeburg, Halle and the Burgenland district, inner-city public transport has almost come to a standstill, said Paul Schmidt, Verdi negotiator. In Dessau, a subcontractor was able to partially maintain the offer. According to Schmidt, a total of around 500 employees took part in the strike.
The passengers appeared to be well prepared, Schmidt said. He saw no people waiting at the bus stops in the state capital. Traffic is expected to start again after 2 p.m. However, it could take a little longer on Friday for the driving process to return to normal. S-Bahn and regional trains were not affected by the warning strikes.
It is important to send a signal in the direction of politics, said Schmidt. The employers have also experienced financial bottlenecks, among other things, due to the high energy prices. The public sector must decide whether they finally want to properly finance public transport, said Schmidt.
The next round of negotiations in the collective bargaining dispute is scheduled for next Monday. He hopes for substantial progress, the negotiator said. Otherwise further warning strikes are possible. According to Schmidt, the negotiations affect around 2,000 employees in Saxony-Anhalt's local public transport.
