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STRIKES

‘We need an Easter truce’: How strikes have sparked a bitter row in Germany

As fresh strikes hit Germany's transport sector on Friday, we look at what we can expect in the coming weeks, amid growing calls for industrial action to be put on pause during Easter.

Published: 15 March 2024 12:04 CET
A quiet Dortmund airport on Friday during a strike
A quiet Dortmund airport on Friday during a strike. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Bernd Thissen

What’s the latest on strikes?

Strikes are continuing in Germany, with airport security staff walking out on Friday in Hanover, Dortmund, Weeze, Dresden and Leipzig, and at Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden for the second day in a row.

A strike on Thursday took place at five airports around Germany, and led to thousands of cancelled flights. At Berlin Brandenburg (BER) all departing flights were axed.

Germany’s largest airport in Frankfurt was not affected by the warning strikes on either day, but was hit by a Lufthansa cabin crew strike on Tuesday and Wednesday which led to flight delays and cancellations.

Meanwhile, a three-day strike is taking place on local public transport in Frankfurt and Hesse. It started on Wednesday and is set to run through the end of the night shift on Saturday morning.

READ ALSO: Why Germany is being hit by strikes almost every day

How long will strikes continue?

With no definite signs of the action easing up, people in Germany are wondering how long the current wave of strikes, affecting sectors from public transport and retail to childcare, will continue. 

The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) recently said it would be announcing strikes at short notice, putting more pressure on Deutsche Bahn. 

It comes as many are preparing to travel for Germany’s four day Easter weekend that includes two public holidays on Friday, March 29th and Monday, April 1st.

With the possibility of strikes threatening nationwide and local transport as well as flights, there are fears that plans will be thrown into disarray. 

GDL boss Claus Weselsky has not ruled out industrial action over this period in the same way he did over the Christmas holidays in late 2023.

Transport Minister Volker Wissing, of the Free Democrats, has called on unions to refrain from industrial action in the travel sector, at least over Easter.

“I appeal to the trade unions to declare an Easter truce if the wage disputes in rail and air transport are not resolved by the start of the holidays,” the minister told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung.

READ ALSO: How likely are strikes in Germany over the Easter weekend?

“The trade unions should make it clear in good time that there will be no strikes during the Easter period. We must also think about the needs of the population.”

Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP), at the launch of the Deutschlandticket in April 2023.

Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP), at the launch of the Deutschlandticket in April 2023. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Bernd von Jutrczenka

Friedhelm Pfeiffer, a senior researcher at the European Centre for Economic Research based in Mannheim, told The Local’s Germany in Focus podcast, he believed strikes would continue and that the unions could be successful in their fight. 

As well as pushing for a salary raise to help train drivers manage the higher cost of living, the GDL is pushing for a reduced working week of 35 hours, down from 38 hours, with no loss in wages.

“I think they (the strikes) will continue, but I don’t know how long,” Pfeiffer said. “And the strategy of the unions is, from my point of view, to do strikes at times when it really hurts.

“And currently, they say they will strike for 24 hours and nobody knows when, and this is something that is really effective somehow.”

There is some encouraging news on the strike front, though. 

According to German media reports on Thursday, the Verdi union and Lufthansa have agreed to enter an arbitration process in a bid to figure out a collective agreement for ground staff, meaning further warning strikes have been put on hold – at least for now.  

Will politicians step in?

As the escalation continues, calls are growing from employers urging the government to come down harder on unions by reforming the right to strike. 

“The strikes in the critical infrastructure are not only annoying, they are also a brake on growth,” managing director of the Federal Association of Employers’ Associations, Steffen Kampeter, told the Rheinische Post.

“The economic damage not only affects the companies directly affected, but also the entire economy.”

Kampeter described the unions’ actions as “disproportionate” and called on politicians to act. “We need clear industrial action law, especially for the railways and comparable areas.”

However, Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier this week ruled out stepping in to curb strikes affecting critical infrastructure like transport. 

Asked in parliament if he would consider imposing new rules, Scholz said: “In my view, no.”

“The right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought,” said Scholz, of the Social Democrats.

The unions argue their demands are reasonable as the cost of living has gone up considerably in Germany in recent years, and working conditions have worsened due to factors like staff shortages. 

READ ALSO: ‘No family life’: A Berlin bus driver explains why public transport workers are striking

However, it’s undeniable that strikes are having a big impact on the already sluggish Germany economy.  

In January, Michael Groemling of Cologne’s Institute for Economic Research said nationwide train stoppages can cost up to €100 million a day to the economy.

Economics Minister Robert Habeck said this week there was “a bit too much striking” taking place and not enough work. 

“And we really can’t afford that at the moment.”

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TRAVEL NEWS

EES: Why is the UK-France border such a problem for the EU’s new biometric passport checks?

The EU's proposed new system of passport checks known as the Entry & Exit System will apply to all of the Bloc's external borders - so why are most of the warning lights coming from the France-UK border? And is it really Brexit related?

Published: 8 May 2024 12:03 CEST
EES: Why is the UK-France border such a problem for the EU's new biometric passport checks?

The EU’s new Entry & Exit System of enhanced passport checks – including biometric checks like facial scans and fingerprints – is due to come into effect later this year.

You can read a full explanation of how it works HERE and see our frequently-asked-questions section HERE, including information for non-EU citizens who are resident in an EU country and the system for dual nationals.

EES will apply to the whole of the EU and Schengen zone and will apply at external borders, but not for travel within the Schengen zone itself (eg between France and Germany or Italy and Switzerland).

You can hear the team at The Local discuss the latest developments on EES on the Talking France podcast – listen here or on the link below

The EU has plenty of external borders from land borders such as the Greece-Albania border to the airport frontiers that occur when, for example, an American flies into Italy.

But while several nations have expressed concern that their infrastructure is not ready, the loudest and most dire warnings are coming about the border between France and the UK.

READ ALSO Travellers between France and UK could face ’14-hour queues’ due to new passport system

So why is this border such a problem?

The problems with the UK France border are threefold; volume of traffic, space and juxtaposed borders.

Volume of traffic – This is simply a very busy border crossing, about 60 million passengers a year cross it by ferry, plane, Channel Tunnel or Eurostar. For people travelling from the UK, especially those crossing by car on the ferry or Channel Tunnel, France is simply a stopping point as they head into Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands or to Spain or Italy.

Around 70 percent of those passengers are British, which means they will have to do the EES checks.

READ ALSO Could the launch of EES be delayed again?

Space – The second problem is to do with the space that is required to process all those passengers as several crossing points – especially the Port of Dover and the embarkation area at London St Pancras – are quite crowded and for various reasons don’t have room to expand.

Extra infrastructure is required to complete EES pre-registration checks and this will be difficult to physically fit into some crossing points – for context the EES pre-registration area for the Channel Tunnel at Coquelles covers 7,000 square metres.

Juxtaposed border controls – the UK-France border is also unique within the EU because of its juxtaposed border controls, which are the result of a bilateral agreement between France and the UK known as the Le Touquet agreement.

Juxtaposed border controls exist at Paris Gare du Nord and London St Pancras for those using the Eurostar, the ports of Dover and Calais and the Channel Tunnel terminals at Folkestone and Coquelles – these mean that when you leave the UK you get your passport checked by both British and French authorities, and then there are no passport checks when you arrive in France – and vice versa.

This means that if there is a hold-up at one border control it has a knock-on effect on the other and means that very long queues can quickly build up – as has been seen several times at the Port of Dover since Brexit.

The Brexit effect

Part of the problem with the UK-France border is that discussions about EES began while the UK was still a member of the EU, and then the conversation changed once it had left.

However, even when it was in the EU, the UK never joined the Schengen zone so there were always passport checks for travellers between France and the UK.

The difference is that EU citizens are exempt from EES – so those 70 percent of passengers crossing that border who are British would have been exempt from the changes had it not been for Brexit.

French and other EU citizens remain exempt and will not have to complete EES pre-registration once the system is up and running. 

Therefore EES would have only applied to a tiny minority of travellers entering the UK – for example American tourists arriving into London – which logistically would be a much easier challenge, especially for the Port of Dover whose customers are overwhelmingly either British or EU nationals.

What about Ireland?

Had it not been for Brexit, the UK would have been in a similar situation as Ireland is now – since Ireland is a member of the EU but not the Schengen zone.

Under the new system Ireland will not use the EES system at its own borders and will carry on manually stamping passports.

However, anyone who has an Irish passport will be exempt from EES when they are travelling within Europe – for dual nationals this only applies of they are travelling on their Irish passport.

READ ALSO Your questions answered about the EU’s new EES system

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