2024-01-10T14:36:59+00:00
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/ The strike of railway workers and farmers who blocked roads with tractors paralyzed transport throughout Germany, today, Wednesday.
The railway workers’ strike continues for three days, and has paralyzed train traffic in Germany today, while angry farmers also continue to block roads, which indicates the deteriorating social conditions in Europe’s largest economy.
These moves portend a difficult year for Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who leads a divided coalition and faces a weak economy and his popularity is at its lowest levels.
The train drivers’ strike will continue until Friday evening to demand improvement in their wages and working hours at the invitation of the GDL union, after the failure of negotiations with the general operator, Deutsche Bahn.
The operator expected “huge” disruptions across the entire network, and recommended passengers “avoid non-essential travel” during the strike.
On the deserted platforms of Berlin Central Station, the number of passengers was limited amid freezing temperatures.
Loudspeakers announced the cancellation of most flights.
Yesterday evening, Tuesday, a court in Frankfurt rejected the urgent request submitted by the operating company to prevent the strike, which was considered “disproportionate” and the longest so far for the union, which includes about 100,000 members.
Many Germans chose to work remotely to avoid transportation hassles, and many states allowed children not to go to school, even though it is mandatory under penalty of a fine in the country.
Travelers who were hoping to use the car were also disappointed.
Since Monday, thousands of farmers have been protesting against the government’s agricultural policy, blocking highway entrances across the country with tractors.
The movements called for by the German Farmers Union were concentrated in major German cities, and will continue until next Monday.
Farmers’ anger erupted in December after the government’s decision to reduce support for this sector, after constitutional judges called for respecting Germany’s strict budget rules.