Commuters throughout Germany faced freezing temperatures and deserted stations on Monday as tens of thousands of public transport workers walked off the job, bringing bus and tram services in most cities to a halt.
The one-day strike called by trade union Verdi, which represents nearly 100,000 transport workers, came after talks with municipal and state employers over working conditions stalled last week.
The union is demanding shorter shifts, longer rest breaks and higher pay for night and weekend work, even as cities grapple with budget constraints.
The walkout affects about 150 municipal transport companies in all but one of Germany's 16 federal states, including Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen.
Some 5,000 public transport workers in the northern state of Lower Saxony are bound by an agreement that prevents them from joining the picket lines, Verdi said.
One of the largest coordinated actions in the local transport sector in years, the strike began as planned, Serat Canyurt, the leading negotiator for Verdi, told rbb radio on Monday.
Canyurt added that public transport operators were now expected to return to the negotiating table.
"Our priority is to make progress at the negotiating table," he told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa). "Our colleagues can think of better things to do than go on strike in this weather."
In Stuttgart, Karlsruhe and Freiburg, services will grind to a halt for the entire day, union officials said.
Parts of Germany have been hit by a bout of sustained winter weather, including sub-zero temperatures and snow, which has led to disruptions in public transport, including in Berlin.
And commuters in some regions will have to brace for further freezing rain and icy roads in the coming days, according to the German Weather Service.
"If we don't strike for better working conditions, jobs will remain so unattractive that, as we have seen in recent years, not enough people will be willing to work in public transport," Verdi official responsible for buses and trains Andreas Schackert told public broadcaster ZDF.
He noted that shift work in particular was a source of strain for public transport workers.
Schackert said that if nothing was done to make the job more appealing, "then in the long run we won't be able to retain people."
Still, state-owned railway company Deutsche Bahn said Friday its S-Bahn trains in cities including Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart, along with long-distance services, would run as normal on Monday as staff were not represented by Verdi.
Talks between Verdi and employer associations have been tense, with union leaders accusing municipalities of seeking to cut benefits and lengthen shifts.
In Berlin, Verdi negotiators said operators wanted workers to fund improvements themselves by giving up sick pay and flexible hours.
The next round of negotiations is scheduled for Feb. 9. Union leaders warned that further industrial action could follow if employers do not offer significant concessions.
