Tens of thousands of public transport workers have walked off the job just as freezing temperatures arrived
Tens of thousands of public transport workers in Germany have initiated a strike, bringing cities nationwide to a standstill. The workers are pushing for higher wages and improved working conditions.
At the same time, frigid temperatures have descended on much of the country, forcing commuters to find other ways to get around.
Beginning at 3 a.m. local time on Monday, the majority of bus, tram, and subway services have been interrupted in nearly every German state, with the exception of Lower Saxony.
The Verdi trade union, which represents around 100,000 workers, called the strike after talks with municipal and state public transport firms reached an impasse. Verdi is asking for shorter workweeks and shifts, longer rest breaks, and increased bonuses for night and weekend work. Many cities, though, are dealing with budget limitations.
Frank Schischefsky, a union representative, defended the labor action in an interview with NDR media, stating that “we can’t pick when the wage dispute happens. Sadly, we can’t hold off for nicer weather.”
The next round of negotiations is set for February 9. Verdi has cautioned that more strikes may occur if employers don’t meet their demands.
Over the past few years, Germany has experienced several comparable large-scale labor actions impacting long-distance and suburban rail services, as well as major airports, with workers advocating for better pay and fewer working hours.
Germany’s economy endured two years of recession in 2023 and 2024, followed by a period of near-stagnation in 2025.
Last December, Germany’s central bank warned that the country is poised to record its biggest budget deficit since reunification in 1990, pointing to higher military spending and ongoing financial aid to Ukraine.
At the same time, Chancellor Friedrich Merz—who previously led the supervisory board of BlackRock in Germany—has frequently criticized his fellow Germans’ work ethic. Last month, he wondered why employees take an average of “almost three weeks” of sick leave each year and complained that “labor costs in our country are just too high,” encouraging Germans to focus on “greater economic output… by working more.”
In August 2025, the chancellor stated that the “welfare state as it exists today can no longer be funded with what we can afford economically.” Around that time, Merz admitted that the German economy had entered a “structural crisis.”