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WORKERS

Commuters face chaos Tuesday as public transport workers to strike around Germany

Commuters can expect massive disruption on Tuesday as public transport workers across Germany walk out in a row over pay.

Published: 25 September 2020 14:52 CEST
Updated: 28 September 2020 17:42 CEST
Commuters face chaos Tuesday as public transport workers to strike around Germany
Public transport workers across Germany are expected to walk out on Tuesday. Photo: DPA

The trade union Verdi, which represents 87,000 workers from 130 public transport companies across the country, has called on its workers to strike on Tuesday.

The workers will be taking part in so-called ‘warning strikes’, which are used as a forewarning for strikes in the following days. 

U-Bahn trains, buses and trams in cities across Germany will be running at extremely limited capacity or not at all. Some of the cities affected include Cologne, Munich, Hanover, Mainz and Berlin. 

Strikes in many regions including Brandenburg and Saxony are expected to last for 24 hours from 3am on Tuesday.

In Berlin, the strike will last from 3am to 12am, according to public transport operator BVG. According to the union, no further public transport strikes are planned this week. 

The strikes will not affect S-Bahn services (such as those in Berlin and Munich) or regional trains. 

In Berlin, a more regular S-Bahn service will be offered to cope with increased demand. Instead of running between 5.30am and 8.30pm, the S1 and S5 lines will run until 12am.

The trade union believes that discrepancies in wages in different states have grown over the years and is calling for a nationwide standard pay for its workers. 

They are also demanding measures to relieve the increasing strain felt by employees during the corona crisis, such as extra leave or special bonuses, as well as policies focussing on the recruitment and development of young workers. 

READ ALSO: Explained: What sparked the protest culture of modern Germany?

Their demands have previously been met with rejection from employers.

“After 20 years of austerity, workers are being stretched to breaking point,” said Verdi Vice President Christine Behle on Friday.

“The fact that employers are not even ready to negotiate is an affront to the employees and torpedoes any effort to achieve a change in the status quo.”

Separate strikes in the public sector

These strikes are not linked to the nationwide walkouts of public sector workers seen this week. 

READ ALSO: This is where workers around Germany are striking on Tuesday

For over two million public sector workers, Verdi is demanding a 4.8 percent pay rise,, or a minimum of €150 a month in all 16 German states.

The second round of negotiations last weekend were unsuccessful. The third round of negotiations is scheduled for October 22nd and 23rd.

 

 

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HEALTH

Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

It’s back again: amid sinking temperatures, the incidence of Covid-19 has been slowly rising in Germany. But is this enough to merit worrying about the virus?

Published: 20 September 2023 12:05 CEST
Updated: 20 September 2023 22:22 CEST
Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

More people donning face masks in supermarkets, friends cancelling plans last minute due to getting sick with Covid-19. We might have seen some of those familiar reminders recently that the coronavirus is still around, but could there really be a resurgence of the virus like we experienced during the pandemic years?

According to virologists, the answer seems to be ‘maybe’: since July, the number of people newly infected with Covid-19 has been slowly rising from a very low level.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), nine people per 100,000 inhabitants became newly infected in Germany last week. A year ago, there were only around 270 reported cases.

Various Corona variants are currently on the loose in the country. According to the RKI,  the EG.5 (also called Eris) and XBB.1.16 lines were each detected in the week ending September 3rd with a share of just under 23 percent. 

The highly mutated variant BA.2.86 (Pirola), which is currently under observation by the World Health Organisation (WHO), also arrived in the country this week, according to RKI. 

High number of unreported case

The RKI epidemiologists also warned about a high number of unreported cases since hardly any testing is done. They pointed out that almost half of all registered sewage treatment plants report an increasing viral load in wastewater tests.

The number of hospital admissions has also increased slightly, but are still a far cry from the occupation rate amid the pandemic. Last week it was two per 100,000 inhabitants. In the intensive care units, only 1.2 percent of all beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients.

Still, a good three-quarters (76.4 percent) of people in Germany have been vaccinated at least twice and thus have basic immunity, reported RKI. 

Since Monday, doctors’ offices have been vaccinating with the adapted vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, available to anyone over 12 years old, with a vaccine for small children set to be released the following week and one for those between 5 and 11 to come out October 2nd.

But Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has so far only recommended that people over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions get vaccinated.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Who should get a Covid jab this autumn in Germany?

“The pandemic is over, the virus remains,” he said. “We cannot predict the course of coming waves of corona, but it is clear that older people and people with pre-existing conditions remain at higher risk of becoming severely ill from Covid-19”

The RKI also recommended that people with a cold voluntarily wear a mask. Anyone exhibiting cough, cold, sore throat or other symptoms of a respiratory illness should voluntarily stay at home for three to five days and take regular corona self-tests. 

However, further measures such as contact restrictions are not necessary, he said.

One of many diseases

As of this autumn, Covid-19 could be one of many respiratory diseases. As with influenza, there are no longer absolute infection figures for coronavirus.

Saarbrücken pharmacist Thorsten Lehr told German broadcaster ZDF that self-protection through vaccinations, wearing a mask and getting tested when symptoms appear are prerequisites for surviving the Covid autumn well. 

Only a new, more aggressive mutation could completely turn the game around, he added.

On April 7th of this year, Germany removed the last of its over two-year long coronavirus restrictions, including mask-wearing in some public places.

READ ALSO: German doctors recommend Covid-19 self-tests amid new variant

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