Three-day strike at SWEG bus companies and railway lines

Several SWEG bus companies have now stopped working for three days. The reason is a strike called by the Verdi union.

From this Wednesday up to and including Friday, the SWEG bus companies in Lahr, Offenburg, Schutterwald, Kehl, Endingen, Emmendingen, Weil am Rhein, Müllheim, Dörzbach, Lauda, ​​Wiesloch, Sinsheim and Gammertingen will be affected, the union announced. It is to be expected that there will be largely no buses running again on the affected lines.

Since Verdi has also called for a warning strike at SWEG Eisenbahnwege GmbH this time, according to SWEG there will probably be no trains running on the Bad Krozingen - Münstertal, Achern - Ottenhöfen, Biberach - Oberharmersbach and Hechingen - Gammertingen routes.

The train traffic of other railway companies is also affected: The Swabian Alb Railway is unlikely to be able to run on the Gammertingen - Engstingen - Schelklingen route, nor will DB Regio on the Endingen - Gottenheim route, SWEG said.

In total, over 300 union members took part in the strike.

Verdi negotiator Friederike DeCoite said: “With the warning strikes we are not bringing any severity into the negotiations, as the employers claim.”

SWEG could end the bus drivers' work stoppages immediately if they were finally willing to talk to the union.

“We want there to be reliable public transport for passengers today and tomorrow - even after new tenders. “But this requires drivers who have a safe job behind the wheel.”

The bus companies have already gone on strike twice in the past few weeks, each lasting two days - according to Verdi, "without a reaction from the employer."

The renewed warning strikes are intended to build pressure to bring the SWEG to the negotiating table, it was said.

The drivers are demanding protection against operational dismissals in the course of new tenders.

In addition, the wage round for the railway collective agreement is underway nationwide, which, according to Verdi, also affects SWEG. There is no agreement yet.

The SWEG had criticized the strike call as disproportionate and irresponsible.

Verdi is bringing unnecessary severity into the ongoing negotiations, criticized group managing director Thilo Grabo in Lahr.