Overview
- Buses and trams in Cologne, Bonn and Monheim are slated to stop for an all-day warning strike on Friday, March 6, with S-Bahn and regional trains running as normal.
- The second bargaining round for roughly 30,000 workers in more than 30 municipal transport firms in NRW ended on March 3 without an agreement, with Verdi saying employers offered no basis for talks.
- Verdi seeks shorter weekly hours (39 to 37 with full pay), longer rest between shifts (10 to 11 hours) and higher Sunday premiums (to at least 40%), while employers warn tight finances could force service cuts or outsourcing if demands are met.
- Separately, AWO employees held a NRW-wide warning strike on March 3 with a central Dortmund rally of about 2,000 participants, closing or limiting some childcare and care services as a third bargaining round begins.
- The labor unrest is spreading regionally, with Saarland’s municipal transit on strike through Friday and Niedersachsen facing potential action after its peace obligation expires at the end of March.