General strike in Germany meets mass protests in France
Last Wednesday, local time in Germany, Verdi, Germany’s largest service industry union, announced a strike, which led to the interruption of channel pilotage at Hamburg Port, Europe’s second largest port, and port operations faced disruption. The port chaos caused by pilotage operations has not improved, and Germany faces another problem again. According to a report by German on March 26, 350,000 employees of the public transport sector in Germany went on a 24-hour warning strike on March 27 under the mobilization of the German Verdi trade union and the railway transport union (EVG). Long-distance and short-distance trains, buses, airports, and even ships are expected to be paralyzed on a large scale, and the commuting of millions of corporate employees, teachers, nursing staff and so on will be affected.
Munich Airport, Germany’s second-largest airport, started a two-day warning strike on the 26th. The airport company stated that due to the employee strike, flight operations for these two days will be suspended. A total of about 1,500 flights were affected and 200,000 passengers had to change their itineraries. On the 26th, Frank Werneke, head of the Verdi labor union, said that employees in these sectors keep the country running, but their wages are so low that there is a serious labor shortage, but employers have not taken any action. The union has added 70,000 new members since warning of the strike at the start of the year. It is worth noting that the German Railways also held a strike action following the port, which made troubles to the transportation of goods in Germany and even Europe.
A rail strike in Germany is expected to cause delays and disruptions to rail freight, with freight forwarders and shippers calling for flexibility in timing to help move goods, and more disruptions are expected in France. Stefan Genth, CEO of the HDE trade association, called on the German government to lift the Sunday driving ban and allow logistics companies to ship ahead of schedule to avoid supply disruptions.
Protests intensify across France
On March 7, local time, the largest strike in France since 1995 (nearly 30 years) broke out. The major French trade unions held the banner of bringing the country to a standstill, trying to force President Emmanuel Macron to abandon the delayed retirement policy. On March 20, the French National Assembly rejected the motion in the government, which means that the retirement system reform bill was passed in parliament. On the 22nd local time, the French President delivered a national speech, confirming that the reform of retirement must be implemented before the end of this year.
The enactment of the retirement reform bill has intensified nationwide protests in the country. According to a report, On the 23rd local time, millions of people once again went to the streets of France to oppose the retirement reform bill imposed by the French government. During this period, the police and protesters clashed fiercely, and the situation on the scene was out of control. According to the French news station, the large-scale protests that took place on the 23rd marked the official entry into the ninth day of nationwide protests and demonstrations in France. According to data from French trade unions, about 3.5 million people participated in the nationwide protest that day, while the French Ministry of the Interior stated that the actual number of protesters was about 1.1 million, of which nearly 120,000 people participated in Paris. Strikes and protesters in France do not require advance notice as they do in other countries, meaning more protests are expected in France, although unions have not yet been informed of further action.
Trucks were delayed around the Calais region and the situation could escalate as protesters blocked roads and motorways. Some refineries in France, mainly in the south, have been affected by the protests, fuel sales have been restricted in some regions and some flights have been disrupted by air traffic controllers, the Connexion reported. Again, this disruption has the potential to spread without warning. Ferry operator said protests in France had disrupted cargo. In the UK, a spokesman for the port of Dover said that the port was still open and was expected to be affected by heavy traffic. But please plan ahead to allow extra travel time and check with the operator before departure. A spokesman for Getlink, a freight train to the UK through the tunnel, said that so far the service had not been greatly disturbed.
