At 03:00 on Friday 27 February 2026 nearly 100,000 members of the public-sector union ver.di walked off the job, triggering the largest coordinated strike in municipal transport since 2019. The work stoppage hits local buses, trams and U-Bahn networks in 15 of Germany’s 16 federal states, with only Saarland spared. While Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance ICE and IC trains continue to run, passengers report extreme crowding as commuters shift to rail. Ver.di is demanding a 10 percent pay increase (or a flat €68.75 per month in some regions), higher night-shift bonuses, and structural changes such as longer rest periods to address chronic driver shortages.
![48-hour nationwide public-transport strike cripples German cities and business travel]()
Business visitors caught in the disruption should make sure at least their paperwork is seamless: VisaHQ’s digital platform can organise German visas, extensions and residence permits end-to-end, freeing companies to focus on re-routing staff rather than wrestling with consular forms. Full service details and live requirement updates can be found at https://www.visahq.com/germany/
Employers’ association KAV has so far offered 5 percent and a one-off payment, calling the union’s claims “financially irresponsible”. Talks resume on 4 March; failure could escalate action to airports and regional rail. Business-traveller impact is severe. Berlin’s BVG confirms the shutdown of almost all underground and tram lines; only a handful of subcontracted bus routes and ferries operate. Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg report similar paralysis, prompting ride-hailing prices to triple during the morning peak. Conference organisers in Cologne and Stuttgart cancelled in-person sessions, switching to virtual platforms at short notice. Travel managers are advising assignees to work remotely or book hotel rooms within walking distance of client sites. Companies running time-critical manufacturing lines warn of absenteeism-related slowdowns; one automotive supplier in Wolfsburg chartered minibuses from Poland to shuttle shift workers. The strike underscores the broader mobility risk posed by Germany’s fragmented wage bargaining. HR teams should revisit contingency plans, check hotel allocations that allow for extended stays, and build extra transfer time into itineraries for the next bargaining round. A second 72-hour walkout is already being floated if no deal is reached in March.
Business visitors caught in the disruption should make sure at least their paperwork is seamless: VisaHQ’s digital platform can organise German visas, extensions and residence permits end-to-end, freeing companies to focus on re-routing staff rather than wrestling with consular forms. Full service details and live requirement updates can be found at https://www.visahq.com/germany/
Employers’ association KAV has so far offered 5 percent and a one-off payment, calling the union’s claims “financially irresponsible”. Talks resume on 4 March; failure could escalate action to airports and regional rail. Business-traveller impact is severe. Berlin’s BVG confirms the shutdown of almost all underground and tram lines; only a handful of subcontracted bus routes and ferries operate. Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg report similar paralysis, prompting ride-hailing prices to triple during the morning peak. Conference organisers in Cologne and Stuttgart cancelled in-person sessions, switching to virtual platforms at short notice. Travel managers are advising assignees to work remotely or book hotel rooms within walking distance of client sites. Companies running time-critical manufacturing lines warn of absenteeism-related slowdowns; one automotive supplier in Wolfsburg chartered minibuses from Poland to shuttle shift workers. The strike underscores the broader mobility risk posed by Germany’s fragmented wage bargaining. HR teams should revisit contingency plans, check hotel allocations that allow for extended stays, and build extra transfer time into itineraries for the next bargaining round. A second 72-hour walkout is already being floated if no deal is reached in March.
