German Train Drivers on Strike for 3 Days
German railroad workers began a three-day nationwide strike on Wednesday, causing traffic chaos in Europe's largest economy and leading to major road traffic knots. Deutsche Bahn said the national railroad can only operate emergency train schedules during the strike, which will affect the travel plans of millions of people, encouraging them to cancel or postpone all non-essential travel.
The German Train Drivers' Union is demanding that the weekly working hours of shift workers be reduced from 38 to 35 hours, that the monthly salary be raised by €555, and that a one-time inflation bonus of €3,000 be offered. Deutsche Bahn has already provided flexibility in terms of working hours, but has refused to reduce the number of hours without a pay cut.
The nationwide railroad workers' strike comes at a time when Germany is facing growing economic problems this year, including weak overall economic data, high interest rates and mounting criticism of the coalition government.
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