TRAINS, planes and public transit systems ground to a halt across much of Germany today as unions held a major one-day strike over pay.

The 24-hour walkout was called by Verdi and EVG unions aiming to win pay rises to keep pace with the soaring cost of living in Germany. 

The country’s cargo transport by rail and ship cargo as well as Germany’s ports and waterways were all hit by the strike.

Verdi is demanding a rise of 10.5 per cent, while EVG is looking for a 12 per cent rise for the workers they represent.

As with many other countries, Germans are struggling with high inflation, which hit 8.7 per cent in February.

Ulrich Silberbach of the Civil Service Federation said: “We have recorded drops in real wages and these need to be balanced out,” adding that some of his union’s members in larger cities are having to apply for state benefits to afford rent.

Mr Silberbach said that he hoped employers would increase their offer in upcoming talks, otherwise unions might have to consider an open-ended strike.

State-owned rail company Deutsche Bahn suspended all long-distance trains for the day and many regional and local connections were at a standstill.

Martin Seiler, responsible for human resources on the company’s management board, said the strike was “groundless and unnecessary” and urged the unions to return to the negotiating table immediately.

Verdi represents around 2.5 million public-sector employees, while EVG represents 230,000 workers on the railways and at bus companies.

The rare joint-call for a strike in Germany marks an escalation of an increasingly ill-tempered dispute but echoes the co-ordination by unions across Europe — notably in the United Kingdom and France — to win higher wages and to protect terms and conditions at work.