Bus strike chaos: Many lines affected – What commuters need to know!

Bus strike chaos: Many lines affected – What commuters need to know!

The upcoming warning strikes in the private bus industry in Schleswig-Holstein bring uncertainty for commuters and travelers. The ver.di union has announced that the strikes will extend to around 80 private bus companies from Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, affecting a total of around 3,000 employees. These companies, which also include well-known providers such as DB Regio Bus Nord and Autokraft, have announced that they will create emergency timetables in order to maintain at least some connections. But there is no guarantee for regular operation.

The first strikes took place on October 10th and 11th, and further actions are announced for October 14th to 17th. Ver.di points out that spontaneous strike actions are also possible, which will be announced the evening before at 6 p.m. This measure ensures that those affected can plan a little better.

Background to the strike

The conflict began after the Northern Bus Association (OVN) announced its withdrawal from a negotiated collective agreement. This provided for an increase in wages and an inflation compensation bonus. The association justifies its withdrawal by saying that the state government wants to cut funding for local public transport, which will make it impossible to make the payments agreed in the collective agreement.

However, Ver.di appears willing to talk and suggests that the strikes could possibly be stopped if the OVN returns to the original agreements. Nevertheless, the situation remains tense, as the German bus industry is not only struggling with financial challenges, but the ongoing wage dispute is also causing great tension for the railways. There, too, agreements between employers and unions are not yet in sight.

An important aspect of the strike concerns student transport. Ver.di has signaled that school bus trips in particular could be affected, but precise information on the respective outages is still pending. The union will also make short-term announcements here.

Overall, it remains to be seen what impact the warning strikes will have on local public transport in the region and how the affected companies will be able to coordinate trips to keep disruption to passengers as low as possible. During this transition period, it is important for travelers to regularly check the information provided by the respective bus companies to find out about any changes to the timetable.

For further information and current developments, those interested can visit the website www.ndr.de visit.