Amid ongoing strikes in public transport, employers’ associations are calling for a decisive federal response and changes to strike law. Steffen Kampeter, chief executive of the Federation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA), blasted the picketing in the Bild‑am‑Sonntag. “This strike is a blatant extortion attempt. In the end it is the commuters who suffer” he said.
Kampeter urged “serious negotiations instead of escalation” and criticised the length of the disruptions. “A 48‑hour strike that paralyses buses and trains is not a warning strike” he told the newspaper. “The fact that courts allow this shows we need new fairness rules for strikes; lawmakers must act”.
He also dismissed the unions’ demands as excessive, arguing they were out of proportion with the economy’s condition. “The economy is not growing, many firms are struggling, jobs are at risk-and the public sector is becoming increasingly greedy” he said. “We have already seen a substantial wage increase, and that is no longer financially viable”.
In a survey for Bild‑am‑Sonntag, 47 % of respondents opposed the public‑transport strikes, while 42 % supported them. Only 55 % would reject paying more for public transport even if that improved working conditions, and just 30 % were willing to do so.