February 27, 2026, 10:57 amFebruary 27, 2026, 10:57 am
In Germany, there have been significant restrictions on local transport in almost all federal states since the early hours of the morning due to warning strikes. According to the union, the largest German local transport company, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), has been on strike since 3 a.m.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin: Employees gather at the start of the warning strike.Image: DPA
“The strike has begun,” confirmed Serat Canyurt, negotiator for Verdi (United Services Union) to the German Press Agency that night. Buses, trams and subways should remain in the depots for 48 hours. Traffic is not expected to start again until operations begin on Sunday morning.
The work stoppage has also begun in Hessian local transport. A Verdi spokesman confirmed this in the morning. Accordingly, around 5,200 employees in the cities of Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Giessen, Marburg, Offenbach and Kassel are being asked to stop working.
Today and Saturday, many buses, trams and subways will remain stationary in Bavaria. The warning strike has begun in 13 cities. The five largest Bavarian cities Munich, Nuremberg, Augsburg, Regensburg and Ingolstadt are among those affected.
Local transport is also on strike in the most populous federal state, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). The industrial action started as planned, said Verdi NRW industry coordinator Lukas Frew. More than 30 municipal transport companies, which cover most of North Rhine-Westphalia, are once again on strike.
In the five largest cities in the eastern German state of Saxony, buses and trains are also largely at a standstill today. Verdi has called on the employees of the municipal transport companies in Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz, Zwickau and Plauen to go on an all-day strike. In Leipzig the call also applies to Saturday.
Trams are at a standstill.Image: EPA
Due to the strike, buses, trams and subways are unlikely to run in most regions today. Commuters in particular, as well as children and young people on their way to school, now usually have to look for other options in order to get to their destination on time. Some local transport companies have already announced that they have drawn up emergency timetables.
Lower Saxony and Deutsche Bahn not affected
In Lower Saxony, northern Germany, a peace obligation applies until the end of March; industrial disputes in local public transport are not possible there until then. Deutsche Bahn and therefore also the S-Bahn are also not affected by the strike, as the collective bargaining round does not relate to the group.
Verdi initially left it open whether there would be new warning strikes in local public transport in Baden-Württemberg. According to the press release, a decision will be made on Monday as to whether Verdi will call for warning strikes again in view of the ongoing negotiations with the municipal employers’ association.
According to Verdi’s announcements, in most regions the warning strikes will last until Sunday night. In some places, work was stopped on Thursday, and some local transport companies could still be affected by strikes on Sunday.
The ver.di union has called on public transport workers to go on warning strikes since 3 a.m. on Friday.image: dpa
No solution to the collective bargaining dispute in sight
In the collective bargaining negotiations, which are mostly conducted with local employers’ associations in all 16 federal states, Verdi is demanding significantly better working conditions – for example through shorter weekly working hours and shift times, longer rest periods, but also through higher bonuses for work at night and on weekends.
In Bavaria, Brandenburg, Saarland, Thuringia and at the Hamburger Hochbahn, higher wages and salaries are also being negotiated. According to Verdi, the talks have made little progress recently. Employers have also recently complained about a lack of progress in the negotiations.
Saarland, Saarbrücken: A drone shot shows the Saarbahn GmbH bus depot with all the buses in their parking spaces.Image: DPA
It is currently completely unclear when collective agreements could be reached between the employers and the union. The negotiations are going very differently from region to region – but recently they didn’t seem to be anywhere close to a conclusion. (sda/awp/dpa)