Significant all-day disruptions in public transport are expected across Germany on Monday due to a nationwide strike by the trade union Verdi.

Buses, trams, and underground trains are expected to remain in depots across many municipal transport companies due to the industrial action.

Almost all 16 federal states are affected, Ver.di announced ahead of the strike. It noted that only Lower Saxony is not affected initially.

For the approximately 5,000 public transport employees in Lower Saxony, there is an agreement not to strike for now.

In the collective bargaining negotiations, which are mostly conducted with the municipal employers’ associations in all federal states, Ver.di is demanding significantly better working conditions.

The conditions are shorter weekly working hours and shift times, longer rest periods, and higher bonuses for work at night and on weekends.

According to the union, in the states of Bavaria, Brandenburg, Saarland, and Thuringia, as well as in the Hamburg underground network, negotiations are also taking place on higher wages and salaries.

Meanwhile, the regional and suburban commuter trains of rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB), the state-owned company, are expected to run without restrictions.

“These are the suburban commuter trains in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Cologne, Nuremberg, Rhein-Main (the Frankfurt metropolitan area) and the regional and long-distance services of DB.

“They are not represented by Verdi as a company and are therefore not affected by the strike,” a DB operator said.

(dpa/NAN)