Due to the high inflation and cost of living problem caused by the Russia-Ukraine war in Europe; Various industry workers went on strike in succession in England, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands.
The war between Russia and Ukraine, which lasted 6 months, negatively affected not only the two countries, but also the whole world.
The European Union (EU) member states, which are heavily dependent on Russia in the field of energy, have implemented 7 sanctions packages against the Moscow administration.
However, the embargoes that came into force to punish Russia have dragged not only this country but also Europe into a serious economic bottleneck.
High inflation and cost of living problem
Inflation, which rose to record levels throughout Europe, unavoidable high cost, and the inability to increase the wages of the workers at the desired level, caused the workers in many countries to decide to strike.
Experts are of the opinion that with the opening of schools in September, economic problems will become much more noticeable in Europe, and that in many countries that have not taken action or strike action yet, workers will leave their jobs in order to increase their salaries.
Many unions strike in England
Labor unions in different sectors have taken collective strike decisions in recent weeks due to the melting of the incomes of the workers in the face of increasing inflation in the UK and the salary hikes offered below the inflation rate.
Alongside the dispute over pay raises, workers are also demanding improvement in working conditions and pension rights.
Those who have decided to quit include subway workers, bus drivers and UBER drivers, teachers, dockers, criminal lawyers, healthcare workers, sanitation workers, aviation and postal service workers.
The strikes of cleaning workers continue in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, with approximately 1900 employees of Felixstowe, which is currently one of the most important ports in England’s freight transport.
Criminal lawyers, who went on strike last month, decided to strike again for the next month as a result of their vote on August 22. Criminal lawyers will go out of business indefinitely in England and Wales from 5 September.
Postal service and telecommunication sector workers in the UK will also hold a work stoppage in the coming days. Health workers in Scotland also voted to go on strike in the coming days.
Strike in Germany costing 35 million euros
Despite the holiday period in Germany, on 27 July, upon the call of the Verdi Union, ground staff at Lufthansa went on a warning strike demanding an increase in wages. Munich and Frankfurt airports, one of the country’s most important airports, were locked due to the strike.
Over 1,000 flights were canceled due to the strike, and 134 thousand passengers were affected. After the strike, which cost about 35 million euros, the employer was able to reach an agreement with the Verdi Union.
On the other hand, collective bargaining negotiations between Eurowings, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, and the Cockpit Union, the pilots’ union, have stalled.
In a statement made by the Cockpit Union Union, it was stated that the collective bargaining negotiations were blocked and called on the members to vote to determine whether the path to be followed by the union in the negotiations is supported or not. As a result of the voting, the union may decide to strike.
Spanish airline workers on strike
The strikes that started in the air transport sector in Spain since the beginning of August have a negative impact on both the passengers and the country’s tourism.
It has been stated that many flights were canceled and hundreds of flights were delayed due to the strikes initiated by Ryanair and Easyjet airlines staff and the Iberia Express airline staff will participate in this weekend.
The cabin crew of the Irish airline Ryanair in Spain have been on strike to cover weekdays (Monday-Thursday) since 8 August, after the failure to reach an agreement in the collective bargaining agreement.
At Ryanair, which has flights to airports in 10 cities in Spain, flight attendants announced that they would continue their strike until 7 January 2023 if their demands were not met.
The pilots of the Swiss-based Easyjet airline have also been on strike only on weekends since 12 August, demanding that their salaries be brought back to pre-pandemic levels.
Dutch railway workers on strike
Dutch State Railways (NS) employees decided to strike after their demands for an increase in their salaries were rejected.
The 24-hour strike, which started in the northern region of the country with the call of the Dutch Confederation of Trade Unions (FNV) and other unions, will continue alternately in different regions until 31 August.
According to the news of AA; In the country, where transportation problems are experienced due to the strike, the unions demand that the monthly salary of NS employees be increased by 100 euros and a one-time payment of 600 euros to the employees due to the increase in inflation and the decrease in purchasing power.
