Rail travellers in Germany are set to face major disruption to their journeys on Friday (21 April) due to a strike by the EVG rail and transport union.

EVG, which represents 50 rail companies including Deutsche Bahn, is calling the walkout from 3am to 11am local time on Friday, with union officials saying that “not a single train will run” during this stoppage.

The rail strike will also coincide with a separate stoppage this week by members of the Ver.di union at three airports in Germany – Cologne Bonn, Dusseldorf and Hamburg.

EVG announced the rail strike on Wednesday (19 April) when the union called for its members to receive higher wages to combat high inflation. The union, which previously held a strike at the end of March, wants a 12 per cent rise for workers.

“We need to step up the pressure on employers who feel they can ignore workers’ demands and instead want to engage in squire-style collective bargaining,” added EVG’s Cosima Ingenschay.

Deutsche Bahn said the strike by EVG workers will “affect all German railway operations” on Friday and asked passengers to postpone their journeys if possible. 

The latest strikes in Germany come as France has been hit by a wave of national strikes in recent weeks which have affected transport services.