Millions of travelers in Germany were hit by new strikes Thursday after two unions called two-day walkouts to demand better pay and working conditions.
The train drivers’ strike forced the cancellation of around 80% of the country’s long-distance trains, as well as regional and commuter trains. Air travel was also affected when ground staff of German airline Lufthansa stopped work in the morning.
The stoppages led to traffic jams in cities and on highways, a lack of carpooling and rental cars, and passengers desperately trying to change their flights to reach their destination. Students and workers had trouble getting to their schools or jobs on time, as millions of people who normally relied on short-haul trains were stranded or stuck in traffic.
Lufthansa said this week it would have to cancel about 1,000 flights a day, and some 200,000 air passengers would be affected.
Negotiations with the airline’s ground staff and with train drivers at German rail operator Deutsche Bahn were still ongoing. The GDL and Ver.di unions called strikes for Thursday and Friday.
The strike on regional and long-distance services began at 2 a.m. Thursday. According to GDL, it was expected to last until 1 p.m. Friday. The freight strike began at 6 p.m. Wednesday and would last until 5 a.m. Friday.
In addition to wage increases, GDL has called for a reduction in working hours from 38 to 35 per week without a reduction in earnings, something Deutsche Bahn has rejected.
The Ver.di union is calling for a 12.5% wage increase or at least €500 ($542) a month in negotiations for Lufthansa’s nearly 25,000 ground workers, which include check-in and baggage handling staff as well as maintenance and freight employees.
Simultaneous labor negotiations have led to several strikes in rail, air and local transport in Germany in recent months, successively testing the patience of passengers.
The GDL train drivers’ union this week announced more stoppages in the near future, although it said it would no longer announce them 48 hours in advance, giving passengers less time to seek alternatives.