Three-Day Walkout on SWEG Bus Network as Union Presses for Job Security in Route Tenders

Verdi's three-day warning strike at SWEG from 30 September to 2 October halts buses in 13 Baden-Württemberg locations over job protection demands.

Bus passengers across swathes of Baden-Württemberg face three days without service after Verdi called out drivers at the regional transport operator SWEG. The warning strike runs from Wednesday, 30 September, through Friday, 2 October, and the union says virtually no buses will run on the affected routes.

Where the disruption hits

Thirteen locations are covered by the call-out: Lahr, Offenburg, Schutterwald, Kehl, Endingen and Emmendingen, plus Weil am Rhein, Müllheim, Dörzbach, Lauda, Wiesloch, Sinsheim and Gammertingen.

It marks the third round of industrial action in recent weeks. The two earlier stoppages each lasted two days; extending this one to three is a deliberate escalation, with Verdi arguing that management has so far failed to respond to the previous walkouts.

The sticking point: protection when routes change hands

At the heart of the dispute is a demand for stronger safeguards for drivers. Verdi wants contractual protection against redundancies that could follow when bus routes are put out to tender again.

Frederike DeCoite, who is leading the negotiations, points to the pipeline of upcoming tenders for several routes over the coming months. Without binding provisions, the union fears the existing workforce could be left exposed if a route changes operator or the network is restructured.

Management pushes back

SWEG's leadership came out strongly against the three-day action. Group managing director Thilo Grabo called the call-out disproportionate and accused the union of acting irresponsibly, pointing in particular to the consequences for passengers and to the reliability of local public transport.

For its part, the union describes the strike as the only lever left to force a reaction from management. With both sides apparently entrenched, commuters and schoolchildren at the listed locations should brace for SWEG buses to be largely off the road until the end of the week.