2024-04-18 20:44:55
Public transport is canceled again in many large cities in Baden-Württemberg today because there is a strike. This also affects high school graduates who are writing their final exams.
The Verdi strike in local public transport in seven major cities in Baden-Württemberg has started. The strike began as planned at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m., a union spokesman confirmed on Thursday morning. Passengers have to prepare for significant restrictions. The local public transport companies in Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn, Freiburg, Baden-Baden, Esslingen and Konstanz are affected by the work stoppages. All buses and trains there should come to a standstill.
Some high school graduates at general secondary schools will also have to look for alternatives to buses and trains on Thursday: because the strike coincides with the start of the written exams. According to the Ministry of Culture, biology and biology (bilingual English) are on the agenda.
But there should be no changes: “The Abitur and the final exams will take place,” the ministry announced in advance. There is a tolerance limit of 30 minutes for arriving late. Even if you arrive half an hour late, you can still take notes. Anyone who is unable to come to school due to the strike will generally remain at night. Whether the student could not have made reasonable efforts to get to school must therefore be examined on a case-by-case basis.
Collective bargaining disputes have been going on since the end of January
The dispute between Verdi and the local transport companies has been going on since the end of January: after four rounds of negotiations, Verdi declared the negotiations with the municipal employers’ association (KAV) had failed on March 11th. Afterwards, in a strike vote, around 93 percent of union members in the companies were in favor of the possibility of indefinite strikes.
The conflict has already largely paralyzed public transport in parts of the country several times. Bus and tram drivers in the cities have gone on strike on three days at the same time since the beginning of February. There were also individual warning strikes in various cities.
Employers see pain threshold
Verdi is negotiating new collective agreements with local public transport companies in almost all federal states. The demands differ: In the southwest, the union is calling for a fundamental reduction in weekly working hours and a shift allowance for driving services. Verdi also wants, among other things, to ensure that employees can have delays and previously unpaid travel times fully credited as working time. Around 6,500 employees are affected by the talks.
The employers had presented a new offer in the last round of negotiations and, according to their own statements, had gone a long way toward meeting Verdi. KAV Managing Director Sylvana Donath also saw the offer as exceeding a pain threshold. The total extent of Verdi’s claims cannot be conveyed to taxpayers. Instead of weakening trust in public transport with strikes, it is important to come to a conclusion. After numerous days of strikes, the passengers no longer have any understanding. The next round of negotiations is planned for next week.