Warning strikes in local public transport in Jena

Lord Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche and Mayor and Head of Finance Benjamin Koppe comment on the public transport warning strikes in Jena on 02.02.2026:

"The public transport warning strikes taking place today will lead to considerable restrictions for many citizens in Jena. Many people rely on buses and trains every day to get to work, school, training or important appointments. We are aware of these burdens and have great understanding for the situation of passengers.

At the same time, the city of Jena respects the constitutionally protected right of employees to represent their interests in collective bargaining. Good working conditions in local public transport are important, both for the employees and for reliable operations. At the same time, we appeal to all those involved to keep the interests of passengers and the economic performance of the company in mind.

As a local authority and client, the city of Jena bears a special responsibility for reliable, efficient and sustainable public transport. Local public transport in Jena is a central component of municipal services of general interest and is already supported to a considerable extent by public funds. The subsidy requirement has increased significantly in recent years and can no longer be balanced within the Stadtwerke Group alone. It is now the municipal budget that provides additional support for the Stadtwerke Group and thus also for Jena's local public transport. These funds come from the municipal budget and are lacking elsewhere for tasks or necessary investments.

The financial conditions have recently become even tougher for the city. Rising expenditure, particularly for mandatory tasks, declining revenue, especially from trade tax, and the current budget freeze are further limiting the city's room for maneuver. For the city of Jena as a shareholder, this means that permanent additional costs in local transport must be secured in the long term and carefully factored into the overall assessment of the budget situation.

The current collective bargaining negotiations are therefore caught between the legitimate interests of the employees, the economic performance of the company and the city's responsibility towards all citizens. Implementing the ver.di demands would lead to a further increase in personnel costs of 17 percent and consequently to additional costs for Jena's local public transport system of over 4.25 million euros - per year. The aim must therefore be to facilitate solutions that are sustainable in the long term and more realistically aligned with the current financial framework conditions and do not overburden local public transport as an overall system.

We welcome the fact that further negotiation dates have been agreed and are looking forward to objective and constructive talks that will lead to a timely agreement. Attractive local public transport needs fair working conditions as well as financial stability and planning security.

A permanently reliable public transport service can only succeed if employers, employees, trade unions and the city of Jena assume their respective responsibilities for the overall system in a spirit of partnership.

We would like to thank the passengers for their patience and understanding in this situation."