Strikes and protests paralyze German rail and roads

All was still and quiet at Berlin Hauptbahnhof station on Wednesday morning.‌ A three-day nationwide strike by the GDL train drivers' union over pay and working hours meant that the usually heaving terminus was close to deserted.‌

The union is demanding an increase in wages and a cut in hours from 38 to 35 per week. The rail operator Deutsche Bahn has told passengers to find alternative routes, although a very limited number of trains are departing to serve those for whom that's not an option.

‌Luana Gotardo, a Brazilian student caught up in the mess, told CGTN her experience was perhaps surprisingly good.

‌"I was in Bayern and I had to come here to Berlin, and so my train was canceled," she explained. "But the whole staff of the trains were very nice and supportive, they really helped me find another fast train. When it came, the train was not crowded at all. I could sit, I could do everything I wanted."

‌Gotardo is one of the lucky ones. Four out of five long-distance trains and almost all local connections in Germany have been canceled.

‌And it's not just the trains that are causing travel chaos in Germany right now. Protests by farmers against plans to cut subsidies, including those for diesel fuel, have been blocking roads since Monday this week and are going to continue until next Monday. 

Joerg, a farmer from Brandenburg, told CGTN that he is angry with the direction of the current government.

‌"I want politicians to make politics for the people and not for foreign countries," he said. "I want them to be there for the middle class as well as for the rich."

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Right-wing opposition party Alternativ für Deutschland has been very vocal in support of the farmers. Chancellor Scholz said that some of the farmer's demands had already been met halfway and hoped for calm.

‌"I believe it is also important that moderation is now maintained," he said. "This should also be a concern of all democrats, especially in turbulent times like these."

With rail and road travel paralyzed in some parts of Germany, the fear is that the longer this goes on, the more it will impact an already struggling German economy.

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