Before the big warning strike day in public transport in Germany, Germany's employers accuse the unions of excessive action. "Anyone who acts in this way is acting disproportionately and endangering the acceptance of the right to strike," said Steffen Kampeter, chief executive of the Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA). The head of the railway union EVG, Martin Burkert, defended the joint warning strike with Verdi and stressed that the right to strike should be handled responsibly: "No, we are not exaggerating."

On Monday, traffic is to be comprehensively paralyzed. The unprecedented warning strike includes long-distance, regional and S-Bahn traffic by rail, municipal transport at many German airports, waterways and ports as well as motorways. The railway and transport union (EVG) and Verdi are fighting for more income in different collective bargaining rounds.

Freight forwarders and retailers are demanding more flexibility for transports as early as weekends. The chief executive of the trade association HDE, Stefan Genth, said: "Compared to the sometimes dramatic situation at the beginning of the pandemic, the effects of the upcoming strike are a manageable challenge."

Nevertheless, it would make sense to lift the Sunday driving ban for this weekend and allow logistics to bring forward some transports. The logistics industry warned of a "supply chaos" and also called in "Bild" for the lifting of the truck driving ban on Sunday.

"A look at France shows where this is leading"

The airline association Barig criticized the actions of the unions as "irresponsible". Lufthansa passengers will have to prepare for significant cancellations as early as Sunday. At Munich Airport, no Lufthansa flights will take place on that day - apart from humanitarian flights, as the airline announced. In addition, Germany's largest airport Frankfurt will be on Monday.

The President of the Association of Municipal Employers' Associations, Karin Welge, called on the trade unions to send constructive signals for the third round of collective bargaining in the public sector of the municipalities and the federal government, which begins on Monday - in addition to the wage talks at the railway decisive background for the warning strikes. "The unions should be careful not to overrun," Welge said.

Kampeter warned that the struggle for members should not radicalize the autonomy of collective bargaining in Germany. "A look at France shows where it leads when you go to the inclined plane." In France, strikes are comparatively frequent – most recently particularly fierce against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform.

The EDC chief said of the right to strike, "it is a sharp sword, with which we also handle very responsibly". In Germany, there are few strike days compared to other countries. In France, it is about political strikes with political demands, which does not exist in Germany, said the head of the railway and transport union (EVG) on Deutschlandfunk. The collective bargaining dispute between EVG and Verdi is about demands for pay and collective agreements. With a view to the joint warning strike with Verdi, Burkert called it "certainly historic that at the same time we have the momentum that we are in difficult wage negotiations".

EVG and Verdi together

In Germany, the right to form trade unions is enshrined in the Basic Law, which also provides special protection for industrial disputes. In France, strikes have a different position than in Germany and take place more frequently. The right to strike is more liberal: strikes do not only take place in the context of collective bargaining, and they are often about political goals.

Unlike in Germany, there are also numerous highly political trade unions that are vying for influence and are increasingly relying on the power of the street. The strong participation in strikes and protests and also the somewhat more militant attitude in France is also due to the fact that the country has centuries of experience that social movements can be successful. Conflicts have a stronger influence on political discourse and also on the relationship between employers and employees.

What is unusual about the planned warning strike day of EVG and Verdi is that it overlaps with the negotiations – namely the third round for the 2.5 million employees of the federal government and municipalities starting in Potsdam. Legally, however, the procedure is possible, as Thorsten Schulten of the Institute WSI of the union-affiliated Hans Böckler Foundation said.

Because the peace obligation ended with the expiry of the previous collective agreement. According to Schulten, nothing stands in the way of a large-scale warning strike involving the overlapping of two collective bargaining areas. The employers see in the comprehensive strike the legal limits at least exhausted.

Kampeter criticized: "Major strikes that are supposed to paralyze a country are not warning strikes." The head of the Federal Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (BVMW), Markus Jerger, said: "Companies and the population must not be taken hostage for demands that are not expedient in the current economic situation."

As a result of the comprehensive warning strike on Monday, there will probably be a standstill almost everywhere in public transport. The railway discontinues all long-distance traffic. Also in regional traffic "for the most part no train will run". Many airports are affected - such as Frankfurt and Munich airports. Local transport is to come to a standstill in seven federal states. Important waterways are also to be on strike.