BERLIN (Dispatches) — German train drivers’ union and police officers paraded on open-top buses through Paris on Wednesday to urge authorities to accelerate talks about labor conditions.
German commuters faced train cancellations across the country, as a three-day nationwide rail strike adds to travel chaos in Europe’s largest economy, where ongoing farmers’ protests have also snarled road traffic.
The GDL train drivers’ union began its main strike in the early hours of Wednesday, following one by cargo train drivers who walked out on Tuesday evening.
The strikes will continue until Friday evening, forcing national rail operator Deutsche Bahn to run only stripped-back emergency timetables.
The company said the strike action would impact the travel plans of millions and encouraged people to cancel or postpone all non-essential travel.
The long-running row over pay and working hours has flared up again following a truce over Christmas.
GDL is demanding a reduction in working hours from 38 to 35 hours per week for shift workers, as well as a pay increase of 555 euros ($606.62) per month and an one-off inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros.
The nationwide rail strikes come on top of a growing economic headache faced by Germany this year, driven by weak macroeconomic data, high interest rates and mounting criticism of the coalition government.
This week’s farmers’ protests, sparked by anger over planned subsidy cuts, have piled further pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose government is trying to get its 2024 budget over the finish line.
In Paris, police officers urged authorities to accelerate talks about labour conditions and pay during the 2024 Olympics to be held in the French capital.
“This is a warning shot to authorities to say that six months before the event, police forces do not know how the summer will turn out for them,” Gregory Joron, head of the SGP Police FO union, told Sud Radio.
“Conditions under which police forces are being thrown into the Olympic games are not good,” he added.
Joron reiterated demands for clarity about work conditions and notably for a 1,500 euros bonus for all police officers.