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GERMANY, USUALLY EUROPE’S bastion of stability, is currently grappling with striking workers who are set to cause disruption across the country.
Now, both trains and cash are in short supply.
The drivers’ union GDL has been locked in a bitter dispute with Germany railway company Deutsche Bahn primarily focused on the employees it wants to represent, but also on wages and working hours.
GDL wants a 5% pay increase and shorter hours but the central sticking point is its demand to negotiate for other staff, including conductors, who are traditionally represented by a larger rival union.
Workers have gone on strike before, but they are currently taking part in the company’s longest ever strike, starting today and running until Sunday.
The economic impact of this disruption threatens to shave 0.01% off the country’s GDP.
Deutsche Bahn, which has already lost roughly €200 million from other strikes since July, employs a workforce of 300,000, including 196,000 in Germany, and transports around 5.5 million passengers and 607,000 tonnes of cargo in Germany every day.
It denounced the strike as “completely excessive and disproportionate”.
This is not an isolated spot of industrial action – workers at an armoured car company are also protesting.
According to Der Spiegal, several banks will be affected by the strike – due to continue indefinitely. Supply problems are already hitting some areas, with ATMs running dry.
Workers from the same union, Ver.di, are also due to go on strike at child day care centres across Germany, Bild reports.
Commuters back home are facing five further days of strike action from Siptu and the NBRU. Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus services are due to be affected on 15 and 16 May in the next round of industrial action.
Including reporting by AFP and The Associated Press
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WOW WOW WOW hang on…GERMANS striking? GERMANS having economic trouble? NOOOOOOOOO
The cartoon image we’ve been sold told us the Germans always balance their budget, have never ending industrial peace, save every cent of every surplus, never make a mistake, don’t have to use the bathroom and their workers enjoy beating themselves with sticks with rusty nails in them to increase efficiency for der fatherland, practically propping up Europe all by themselves…could it be this is all myth? Could it be their social spending is actually higher than Greece? Could it be that while Ireland was having budget surpluses they were having huge deficits? Could it be the media and establishment were….SHOCK..lying to us?
I think it was the Germans that gave Enda the heads up on turning the tap off while you brush your teeth .. I can’t believe this has happened if that rumour were true …
Or maybe it was the second-hand German water meters we are getting put in at Garda-Point that I was thinking about !
The German people are are sick of Austerity.
It does not matter who people vote for. Wall Street & co. decide the final outcome.
How America Became an Oligarchy
According to a new study from Princeton University, American democracy no longer exists. Using data from over 1,800 policy initiatives from 1981 to 2002, researchers Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page concluded that rich, well-connected individuals on the political scene now steer the direction of the country, regardless of – or even against – the will of the majority of voters. America’s political system has transformed from a democracy into an oligarchy, where power is wielded by wealthy elites.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/how_america_became_an_oligarchy_20150408
Angela Merkel now facing devastating accusations of being compliant with US (Spionage) against such companies as Mercedes, BMW , Siemans etc. All of whom consider this woman to be a complete traitor and an American stooge. Germany today is opposing the general direction of American politics : America is today not necessarily an ideology to be blindly followed by Europe. Please read :
US Prisons House More Inmates Than Stalins Gulags
http://russia-insider.com/en/more-people-rotting-us-prisons-height-stalins-gulags/6319
“Mass incarceration on a scale almost unexampled in human history is a fundamental fact of our country today,” writes the New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik. “Over all, there are now more people under ‘correctional supervision’ in America – more than 6 million – than were in the Gulag Archipelago under Stalin at its height.”
Is this hyperbole? Here are the facts. The U.S. has 760 prisoners per 100,000 citizens. That’s not just many more than in most other developed countries but seven to 10 times as many. Japan has 63 per 100,000, Germany has 90, France has 96, South Korea has 97, and ¬Britain — with a rate among the -highest — has 153.
I don’t know about Germany but one of the great things about Ireland is we have a song for every occasion or at least a story about a song …
Ryan nice comment i will green tum that.Thisis Irelands problem no real journalists on main stream media have a look at this https://youtu.be/aG7JmlQXBt0
Ryan nice comment i will green tum that.This is Irelands problem no real journalists on main stream media have a look at this https://youtu.be/aG7JmlQXBt0
This is why TTIP must be opposed and stopped dead in it`s tracks at all costs
Imagine, The Yanks will be able to sue us If our policies go against their “corporate giants”
It makes no difference if you are German, British or Irish workers we are all being shafted by the 1% AND their political lackies
No doubt she will be telling Noonan and Enda to hand over they €1.5 billion they thought that they could play with. Germany needs it more than Ireland does and sure aren’t the Irish always ready “to take one for the team”.
“The Germans are revolting”
I think we should have another whip around for them .
She’ll just ring mr european man of the year kenny ,it should’nt be a problem ,once she promises kenny he will get to be european man of the year again ,
Will they be wanting their water meters back, so?
The Germans Gangbanged The EU so if she’s looking for more and putting on the poor mouth I’ve two word Angela…aufwiedersein pet…!
Aufwiedersehen!
They even let the E.C.B. break themselves – the eejits – and Enda going out getting advice from them…
The poor unfortunates
Ha Ha
Just wondering would Angela know where the Fennelly report has gone ????.
I think they call it schadenfreude.
They’l be alright they can get a few pixieheads to come over and work for nothing.
TIMBERRRRRR!!!
Nicky,
Love the hashtag.
That is all.
It’s no wonder Germany is broke considering the trillions of Euros wasted by Germany on their renewable energy programme where up to €550 per ton is spent to reduce CO2 when carbon credits can be purchased for €15 per ton. No economy can indefinitely bear such a burden, something has to give as so many essential services such as rail, roads, canals, water supply, old age care, hospitals, etc all suffer years of reduced funding in order to feed the renewable energy monster.
Germans today pay 30 cents for a single little kWh of electricity, his much will we pay here in (more expensive for everything) Ireland when our multi billion renewable energy nightmare is in place in year 2020? My bet is 35 cents……what do you think?
The EU has just announced there will be new rules for the carbon trading scheme. As to power prices, what happens in 2020 when we have to start paying fines for failing to meet our carbon reduction targets and Germany has done all the hard work to avoid it. What happens in 2020 when oil prices will be higher and we’re still importing 7-80% of our fossil fuels to run our power plants? Watch how we suddenly wonder why Germans avoid fuel poverty due to their high renewable use and home energy conservation efforts. Watch how whatever governing party we have blames the previous one (or even that we could have had the money to do something if not for the recession/austerity). As it is, we’re still wondering if Wind power is the answer, whether there is wind on the west but demand on the east and not enough power lines and why cutting regulations on house standards in 2015 meant we end up with fuel poverty even in new houses. Yea thinking Long-term is just a German disease…
Better not look to us for a bail out……
Looks like this is recession part two. The US are technically in recession for the last quarter if they make adjustments to the reported numbers. Australia is goosed, Germany is goosed…..its not looking good, Enda might want to put that €1.5bn somewhere to soften the blow because 8t ain’t looking good.
“Just like that the Troika come and mwah all the wealth is gone !”
Haahhaaaaaaaa me rolling laugh… Angela……..haaaaaahhhaaaaaa
Germany is making over €40 Billion PA from other European countries.
They availed of Marshall Aid and we and many other Countries including Greece wrote off significant debts due by Germany.
Today the shoe is on the other foot and Germany say ” no more financial aid”
Increase taxation convert unsecured debt (unsecured Bonds) due to German Banks in Sovereign debt
Germany will not write down 1cent.
We the Irish innocent Taxpayers are forced by our Government to pay increased taxes to repay the German Bankers!
We live in a strange Country!
Who does our Government act for?
We benefited from Marshall aid when our biggest trading partner was allowed to rebuild from the war. As to debts perhaps it might have been better to hope that another crippling debt repayment deal like after WW1 would have been good for peace?? As to Greece almost all the debt is not private bank debt but debt loaned by the IMF and the EU (i.e. EU citizens and by proportion mostly Germans). If Greece defaults, Ireland will have to write off our part of the loans (and the money we give to the IMF to loan out), the banks will hardly notice – they got out of Greek debt ages ago. Most lenders want to know what the borrower is going to do to avoid needing a fourth bailout (this will be the 3rd) and Greece Gov inc has written back – we’ll do better on the back of napkin. Trust us and BTW can you give us even more cash and strike off even more debt (bondholder already took a massive haircut in the last agreement)
Good.
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