Who would have thought"?Young German workers are showing renewed...

Who would have thought"?

Young German workers are showing renewed interest in unionizing and industrial action, as the country's winter of industrial disruption continues.

In the latest action, Lufthansa ground crews are striking Wednesday with major disruptions to Frankfurt and Munich airports. After a train driver's union called a major strike at the end of January, security workers at most of Germany’s major airports walked off the job last week, while many local transport services were also out of action last Friday.

The union that called the latter strikes is one of Germany's biggest, Verdi, which has now described 2023 as its most successful year since its foundation in 2001. Representing 1.9 million service workers across a range of industries, Verdi welcomed 193,000 new members in 2023 — a net gain of 40,000.

Other unions have seen a similar trend. The small but high-profile train drivers' union GDL, which led last weekend's strike, recently reported an 18% rise in membership since 2015. Similarly, Germany's oldest trade union, the gastronomy union NGG, counted over 20,000 new members last year.

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