Update: Friday's BVG strike will last from 4am until 10am on February 2. More information can be found here.

Ver.di has announced that union members working at the BVG will strike imminently, bringing U-Bahns, buses and trams to a halt in Berlin.

BVG prepares for transport strike in Berlin

One of Germany’s largest trade unions, ver.di has announced that members who work at the BVG, Berlin’s local transport association, are preparing to go out on strike imminently.

According to Tagesspiegel, how long the strike will last and when it is set to begin remains uncertain, though a spokesperson from ver.di told the rbb that the union will make a further announcement on Monday, January 29.

The prospective strike comes as the BVG and ver.di reenter negotiations for around 1.600 union members, following the expiration of a past collective agreement. A ver.di spokesperson said that the first negotiation meeting on January 24 had been “sobering”.

Ver.di is demanding more holiday days for BVG employees

Many of the ver.di demands for BVG employees are related to how holiday leave and time off work are structured at the transport association.

Among other things, ver.di is demanding that employees get 33 holiday days regardless of their standing in the company, a 10-minute break for drivers at the end of driving each line and a mandatory rest period of at least 12 hours between two shifts.

Another demand is granting employees one extra holiday day for every 100 hours worked on a night shift, up to a maximum of six days, and scrapping unpaid breaks for drivers.

Unlike with the GDL strikes at Deutsche Bahn, one topic not on the negotiation table between the ver.di and the BVG is working hours. An agreement to reduce working hours at the BVG to 37,5 hours per week was already negotiated by ver.di last year and will come into force in July 2024.

Meanwhile, GDL boss Claus Welesky announced on January 25 that further, even longer, Deutsche Bahn strikes are likely to follow the current six-day strike as GDL members continue their demands for a 35-hour week with no cut to wages.

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