Living in Germany: Ramped-up transport strikes, hibernating statues and Spargelzeit

Could the next round of transport strikes be worse than before?

Whether you’ve been stuck in the freezing cold at a tram stop in Düsseldorf or hit by flight cancellations out of Cologne, it won’t have escaped your attention that Germany’s in the grip of some major strike action right now. Workers across the board are seeing their wages gobbled up by inflation - and now the unions are fighting back.

Last week we saw strikes at seven major airports in Hamburg, Berlin, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg, as well as a transport-sector strike that brought buses and trains to a standstill in Düsseldorf. But there are fears that this could just be the beginning. 

That’s because Deutsche Bahn is currently in tough pay negotiations with rail-sector union EVG, who are demanding a 12 percent pay rise or at least €650 extra a month for employees. If they don’t get their way, the union is gearing up for a major strike on March 27th - and according to union spokespeople, they may well coordinate the action with public-sector union Verdi. “We don’t want competition on the backs of workers, but good wages for all workers in the mobility sector,” negotiator Cosima Ingenschayder told Bild this week. 

That means Germany could be hit by a triple-whammy of local transport, airport and rail strikes - and indefinite strikes also aren’t out of the question. You can hear more about the current wave of strikes - and whether there’s any sign of a resolution - on our latest episode of Germany in Focus. 

Tweet of the week

The start of spring may mean longer days and warmer weather for most of us, but for the Germans among us the excitement is on a whole other level. That’s right: Spargelzeit is almost upon us. Get ready to see white asparagus appear on every possible food item imaginable. 

https://twitter.com/HeyTomBeck/status/1636281229560430592

 Where is this?

Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Jens Kalaene

Spring is finally here and it’s not just people coming out of hibernation - even neoclassical statues are shaking off their winter sleep. Here’s one returning to the gardens of the beautiful Schloss Sanssouci palace in Potsdam, the former residence of Frederick the Great. 

Did you know?

Friday was St. Patrick’s Day, and we hope you enjoyed a Guinness or two in your favourite local Irish pub to celebrate. As of 2021, there were around 15,000 Irish passport-holders living in the Bundesrepublik - but did you know that some pretty famous Germans throughout history also had strong links to the Emerald Isle? 

The social theorist Friedrich Engels visited Ireland several times in the course of his life, writing down his observations about the nation and taking up the cause of Irish immigrants in Manchester in his famous “Condition of the Working Class in England”. The Nobel Prize-winning author Heinrich Böll also regularly visited Ireland, finding its unspoilt natural landscape and serenity the ideal environment in which to concentrate on his work.

And it’s not just famous Germans who have an ongoing love affair with Ireland. In 2019, 750,000 people from Germany visited the country, generating millions for the Irish economy. Of course, the passion for all things Irish doesn’t stop there - next time you’re in a German supermarket, keep your eyes peeled for everything from Irish cheddar to Kerrygold butter. As Berlin resident Pauline Ní Ceitinn quipped to my colleague Rachel Loxton: “Germans love the Irish. They think we’re a really green country that makes lovely butter.” 

We couldn’t agree more.