Taking an entire country hostage is inappropriate at this time
“Strike is usually force majeure. You have no right to compensation.”
The start of the new week in Germany will be overshadowed by a massive public transport strike. In addition to buses, trains and airports, parts of the motorways are also affected. WELT economic correspondent Philipp Vetter says that tunnel closures are also to be expected.
Ver.di and EVG are calling on workers to go on a warning strike on Monday. Applying this ultimate remedy now is inappropriate. No union can expect that their demands will simply be met in full. You make it too easy for yourself.
Dhe mobility general strike is a completely disproportionate escalation. One can find the rituals of collective bargaining tiresome: the night-long struggle, the game of demands, counter-demands and offers. And yes: warning strikes are also part of it.
But wanting to completely paralyze a country before the third round of negotiations is an abuse of the constitutionally protected right to strike with good reason.
No union can expect that their demands will simply be met in full before they have been seriously negotiated. Neither in the public service nor at Deutsche Bahn have the employers called for a zero round. Of course, the tariff increases offered are still a long way from the demands of Ver.di and EVG. Now you have to approach with difficulty.
Instead, taking an entire country hostage is neither effective nor appropriate at this point. In view of the massive rise in prices, large parts of the population are likely to have sympathy for high wage demands. But this benevolence is gambled away by those who resort to the ultimate remedy so prematurely. The rituals may be tiring, but they are necessary.
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