15 kilometers of traffic jam at the Elbe tunnel in Hamburg, driving north. The Autobahn GmbH employee, wearing an orange high-visibility vest and a hat with the employer’s logo, sounds satisfied as he speaks into the camera: “You can see: We can strike the Elbe tunnel, it has an impact,” he says. And then adds: “Good work must be well paid.”
Employees of Autobahn GmbH and the state road construction administrations also went on strike on Tuesday in Bremen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Karlsruhe, Rosenheim and many other places throughout Germany. In Lower Saxony, several bridges and tunnels remained closed. The Verdi union had called for industrial action, protests and rallies because the collective bargaining negotiations with the employers – the federal Autobahn GmbH and the federal states – were “tough to unacceptable”.
“We have succeeded in mobilizing colleagues in dozens of departments for an industry warning strike,” said Christine Behle, deputy chairwoman of Verdi, late on Tuesday afternoon. She had said beforehandthe employees wanted to use the joint strike day to show that their work deserves better pay.
Not all of the actions took place on the streets on Tuesday; many started at administrative locations. According to the union, several thousand employees nationwide took part in the industrial action. There were strikes, rallies, demonstrations or meetings at all 18 planned locations, a Verdi spokesman told taz. In any case, the actions are “more of a signal to employers and less about annoying drivers.”
Verdi demands more monthly salary
The strikers work, for example, in branches of Autobahn GmbH, in road maintenance departments, tunnels or traffic control centers. The union is demanding 7 percent more salary per month for them in both collective bargaining rounds – but at least 300 euros, in order to make lower wage groups in particular a little better off. There should also be more money for young talent.
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The collective bargaining negotiations with the federal Autobahn GmbH began at the beginning of January, and the employer has not yet made an offer to adjust the monthly salaries. The first round of negotiations was held by the Verdi unions, the Civil Service Association and the Collective Bargaining Union terminated prematurely.
In the negotiations on the collective agreement for the public service of the states, which applies to employees of the state road construction administrations, the collective bargaining association of the states made an offer in the second round of negotiations – but according to Verdi, this was “insufficient and also vague”.
During an action in front of Autobahn GmbH’s Berlin headquarters on Tuesday, the employers showed their understanding and held out the prospect of an offer, says the Verdi spokesman. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for February 6th. The negotiations for public sector employees will continue on February 11th.
Roads and bridges are in bad shape
Recently, events like that… Collapse of the Dresden Carola Bridge or the complete closure of the dilapidated Rahmedetal Bridge near Lüdenscheid in the Sauerland region showed how important an intact transport infrastructure is – and how bad German roads and bridges are.
Because personnel capacity for planning and construction is scarce, many environmental associations demandto prioritize the renovation of roads and bridges and to put plans for new road construction on hold. In the current government’s federal budget, Autobahn GmbH, for example, is still allocated several billion euros, including for the construction of new roads.