The voices of the trade union Verdi have already been raised and warning strikes in the public transport sector have been announced for today, Wednesday. The city buses of Stadtwerke Gießen AG (SWG) are also affected. According to the municipal utilities, many SWG bus drivers who are affected by the wage negotiations will also go on strike. Stadtwerke expects considerable restrictions on all city bus routes from the early hours of the morning until midnight on Ash Wednesday. "The exact impact of the strike cannot be predicted. But we will of course endeavour to keep the disruption caused by this situation to a minimum," says Ina Weller, company spokesperson for SWG. However, possible delays must be expected.
The reason for the strike is the conflict over the new, state-specific collective labour agreement for local transport companies (TV-N). The TV-N is intended to replace the general collective agreement for the public sector. Verdi has called for warning strikes throughout Hesse in the cities of Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Kassel, Marburg, Offenbach, Hanau, Darmstadt and Giessen.
SWG asks its passengers for their understanding for any disruption to local transport services.