A 48-hour strike has started in public transportation in the capital city of Germany, Berlin, as an agreement could not be reached between the employers and the Ver.di union representing the workers. Bus, metro, and tram services in the capital city were canceled.

In Berlin, the capital city of Germany, a 48-hour strike has begun in public transportation. Due to the work stoppage initiated by Berlin Transport Services (BVG) employees starting at 03:00 today, bus, metro, and tram services in the capital were canceled.

The strike, which will render Berliners unable to use the metro (U-Bahn), tram (Straenbahn), and bus routes, will end on Saturday, February 22 at 03:00.

Ver.di union, announcing that the second offer presented by the BVG management was deemed insufficient by the employees, is demanding a monthly salary increase of 750 euros for 16,000 employees, a 13th salary payment, an additional 300 euros for drivers, and an extra 200 euros for shift workers.

On the other hand, the BVG management proposed raising the salary by 17.6% gradually until 2028 and suggested an additional 200 euros for shift workers and drivers. The BVG management described Ver.di’s strike decision as “exaggerated.”

The union stated that the employees’ demands would bring an additional burden of 250 million euros annually to the company. Ver.di union announced that if no agreement is reached in the negotiations on March 21, they can commence an indefinite strike.

The last major strike by the BVG in Berlin occurred in 2008 and lasted for 6 weeks.