The mega strike taking place in Germany on Monday across the transport sector will also have a huge impact on Austria. Not only will train and flight connections be affected, but also short-term shipping – and therefore day-to-day delivery of goods.
The reason for the superstrike is that the rounds of collective bargaining (collective agreements) for federal and local servants were unsuccessful after several rounds. The union demands a wage increase of 10.5% or at least 500 euros more per month for the 2.5 million employees. Meanwhile, the rail and transport union (EVG) rejected Deutsche Bahn’s offer of five percent more wages. EVG requires twelve percent more or at least 650 euros more per month.
Deutsches Eck impassable
There is no regular passenger and freight traffic at Munich Airport on Sundays and Mondays; also in Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hanover, Nuremberg, Cologne-Bonn, Hamburg and Düsseldorf. Around 1,200 flights cannot take place at Frankfurt airport alone on Monday and nearly 800 flights at Munich.
Lufthansa’s subsidiary Austrian Airlines was also affected. According to AUA spokeswoman Anna Pachinger, at least 65 flights to and from Germany were cancelled. This does not include Lufthansa, Swiss and Eurowings flights.
Austrian railways appear to be affected even more than air traffic. Therefore, on Monday, no local and long-distance trains can cross the border to and from Germany all day. Traffic within Austria between Salzburg and Tyrol via the Deutsches Eck is also affected by the restrictions.