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Germany braced for summer chaos as transport strikes bring country to a halt
Peter Oliver in Hamburg

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02:28

WATCH: Peter Oliver reports from Germany

There's been major transport disruption across Germany as a two-day strike by airport security at three major hubs coincided with a rail strike on Friday morning. 

Railway staff are continuing their dispute with bosses over pay and conditions amid a cost of living crisis, while inflation is squeezing the country.

It was all quiet at Hamburg's central station on Friday morning as railway workers' union EVG called a walkout between 3 am and 11am to hit the morning commute.

Hamburg is one of those cities hit with the double whammy of having trains on strike and its airport affected by striking workers.

A strike resumed at Dusseldorf airport this week./ Ina Fassbender/AFP
A strike resumed at Dusseldorf airport this week./ Ina Fassbender/AFP

A strike resumed at Dusseldorf airport this week./ Ina Fassbender/AFP

At the central station, a student visiting the northern German city told CGTN that while they understand why the workers have chosen this action, they could have done without the disruption.

"I think the strike is justified, but it has a lot of consequences. We just went on a class trip to Hamburg for a week and now we have to completely reschedule our return journey," they said.

Another passenger trying to get home to central Germany agreed, saying: "The COVID crisis has already led to losses. Then comes inflation. The strike is very justified. Of course it brings us difficulties. I've come from Hamburg to Munster and OK, we accept it now and we are just looking forward to going home."

The rail union is looking for a 12 percent rise in pay, or at least $710 more per month.

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Some passengers impacted by the strikes are less understanding.

"This sucks. There are a lot of people, little people, who want to go on vacation, want to fly, have saved up for trips themselves and nothing works," they said. "You should think about it. What do all the train cancellations alone do - what does it cost us as a country in billions?"

Hamburg, Dusseldorf and at Cologne airport, security staff are on strike action that started on Thursday and were scheduled to run through until Friday night. 

Around 700 departing flights were set to be affected, causing trouble for an estimated 100,000 passengers.

A near deserted train station in Essen, western Germany on Friday. /Ina Fassbender/AFP
A near deserted train station in Essen, western Germany on Friday. /Ina Fassbender/AFP

A near deserted train station in Essen, western Germany on Friday. /Ina Fassbender/AFP

Oezay Tarim is a spokesperson for the Verdi Trade Union.

According to Tarim: "We have now two years of talks, nine rounds of negotiations, and we are in the same place. We notice that the employers are playing for time. And that's why we have said that we have to increase the pace to actually reach a conclusion before the summer holidays. 

"I don't want to imagine how it will turn out if we carry this conflict into the summer holiday period."

Inflation is at the center of the dispute. Although it has slowed to 7.4 percent in March, far from the peak of 8.8 percent last October, inflation remains relatively high and that is being reflected in the cost of living. 

This is why the unions representing the airport security staff are seeking wage increases.

It could be a summer of discontent on the rails as well. Railway unions have set a deadline of the end of April to find an agreement.

There is a big threat of longer term industrial action hanging over the network, something which could be set to usher in a summer of transportation chaos over the vacation season.

 

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