Million Passengers Stranded As Austrian Rail Strike Begins

Austrian rail traffic froze Monday, impacting critical transit routes between Europe's east and west, as workers held a 24-hour strike over pay disputes.

According to Reuters, the labor action has disrupted 8,000 connections and left more than a million passengers stranded.

"The railway union vida is on strike today from 00:00 to 24:00. For this reason, no trains can run all day throughout Austria and across borders," the country's federal railway system, OeBB, wrote on its website.

The labor action was last-minute after pay negotiations broke down between the rail workers' union and OeBB. The union demanded a 400 Euro increase due to the cost-of-living-crisis in the EU for the 50,000 rail workers. They were offered 208 euros plus a one-time payment of 1000 euros.

"Wedged between eight countries including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, Austria is an important hub for European rail travel," Reuters noted.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/strike-brings-trains-standstill-across-austria-2022-11-28/