German public transport workers begin strike over pay

BERLIN (AA) - German public transport workers began a one-day warning strike on Friday to increase pressure on the government in an ongoing pay dispute.

Passengers have been warned to prepare for significantly disrupted travel in major cities, including Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich.

Bus, tram and metro drivers in six federal states are joining the strike action, which also aims at drawing attention to climate change, and the need to bolster public transport.

The ver.di trade union announced that the strike will continue until midnight in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Saxony, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Public sector workers have been staging walkouts in various federal states since last week after the second round of collective bargaining negotiations with the government ended without agreement.

The union, which is representing around 2.5 million public sector workers, Is demanding a 10.5% and no less than €500 ($530) pay rise amid soaring inflation and cost of living crisis.

A new round of negotiations is planned for the end of this month.