Transportation in Germany was paralyzed on Monday morning as the largest strike in decades hit Europe’s biggest economy.
The 24-hour walkout called by the Verdi trade union and railway and transport union EVG is the latest action of protest from the industrial workers that have been struggling with higher food and energy prices from inflation, causing living standards to plummet.
The strike caused two of the largest airports in Germany, Munich and Frankfurt, to suspend flights. Meanwhile, long-distance rail services were cancelled on Monday.
Workers are calling for a wage increase to offset the impact from inflation that recently reached 9.3% in February. High inflation in Germany is caused by the termination of Russian gas exports that the European largest economy has been relied heavily on for energy.
To replace the gap from Russian gas, Germany and other European countries turn to seek help from the U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is more expensive.
