Warning strike paralyzes bus service

adminonMarch 15, 2023May 3, 2023Leave a Comment

Today, tuesday, all buses of the stadtwerke bamberg are expected to be at a standstill. Because from 4.30 o’clock the trade union verdi calls for a nationwide warning strike. This is the first major strike in decades over the framework collective agreement for local transport, which is to be regulated more uniformly throughout germany: 30 days of vacation per year, better overtime regulations and better structuring of pay are verdi’s goals. The federal employers’ association has decided to leave this issue to the states to decide, and is currently refusing to talk about it.

"If something isn’t done to improve working conditions, we’ll soon have no more young drivers, unionist dirk schneider, responsible for transport and municipal employers at verdi oberfranken-west, said. 100,000 new drivers will be needed nationwide in the next ten years. In order to deal with the problem of junior staff, the special collective agreement for local transport in bavaria contains further demands that are to be emphasized by the warning strike: a reduction of the working week to 35 hours with full wage compensation, as well as higher bonuses for night and sunday travel and further improvements.

Lines are currently cancelled again and again due to illness, and employees in bamberg alone are working 10,000 hours overtime.

Parents’ association informs

For the morning, the union calls for a meeting at the depot of the municipal utility in georgenstrabe. The workforce comprises 160 people, 60 of whom are unionized. The mood in the run-up to the strike is good. Parents and school associations have already been informed by letter that the schools will not be transported by the municipal buses on tuesday either. "We want to make it clear that our strikes are not directed against the schools, but can preserve school transport in the long term", explains schneider. That’s why he considers this approach to be far-sighted, since too much has been saved on personnel over the past 20 years.

Because more young people also allow for a higher frequency and thus an expansion of public transport, important climate protection goals could be better achieved if this means more cars standing idle in the future. The climate protection movement fridays for future and the organization attac have therefore been on the side of the union since the beginning of the wage negotiations and will also be present at the verdi rally in bamberg.

Private line not affected

"We are in the process of informing our passengers through all possible channels", jan giersberg describes the efforts of the public utility company. The press spokesman is pleased with the timely information from the union, so that customers can choose a different mode of transportation. Giersberg emphasizes the constitutional right to unite as a union and states: "we will not stand in the way of our colleagues." an estimated 30,000 passengers had to do without bus rides during the day. All other divisions of the municipal utilities, such as energy or internet, are not affected. In addition, the scheduled cab services and the privately operated bus routes in the district are exempt from the strike.

For the 19. October is the next round of negotiations with the employers’ associations in bavaria. Unionist schneider is combative: "if the employers don’t move, further strikes are conceivable."

Avenue of trees with learning effect above hammelburg

What is the difference between norway maple and mountain maple, between red beech and hornbeam, or between summer and winter lime?? What fruits will the rowan, speierling and sweet chestnut bear?? And what do yew, silver fir and black poplar actually look like?? All these questions can be answered by nature lovers in the tree-lined avenue on the northern edge of the hammelburg military training area. Frank hablinger, district forester at the federal forestry operation, has all the "trees of the year" there have them planted. Especially in corona times a popular destination with a magnificent view over the saale valley.

Village festival kicked off the event

Since 1989, the dr.-silvius wodarz foundation a german tree of the year. In 2013, district forester frank hablinger then came up with the idea of planting all the species named up to then. The occasion was the 1111th anniversary of pfaffenhausen. Accordingly, he has chosen a very special place for the avenue: on the road between saaleck castle and the "franzosenkreuz", below the airfield and with a wonderful view into the saale valley, from the sodenberg to the trimburg. "This used to be part of the pfaffenhausen district", hablinger, who is in charge of the pfaffenhausen district at the federal forestry office, tells us that his district in the troop replacement area covers 2500 hectares, of which around 950 hectares are forest.

"You don’t have to reinvent trees, you just have to rediscover them", hablinger quotes the initiator of the tree of the year campaign, silvius wodarz, a forestry official and environmentalist who died in 2018. The district forester with the federal eagle on his arm is pleased that the campaign is so well received: "there are always people out and about up here", he reports, apparently due to the corona restrictions, more local people and tourists are interested in the local nature. The tree-lined avenue stretches below an official nordic-walking track. Nevertheless, it is in the troop uprising area. Visitors are tolerated, but there is a restriction: during the sliding operation, entry is prohibited, which is indicated by a hoisted buoy at the franzosenkreuz and at the access from the campground above saaleck castle.

When there’s no shoving, those interested can discover 33 tree species in the "tree of the year avenue": 32 times the tree of the year from 1989 to 2020 and additionally the "tree of the century", the gingko that forster hablinger himself donated. All other trees have tree sponsors: it costs 150 euros to be on the sign for the current tree of the year. Included are the purchase of the tree, planting, planting, care and possible replacement.

Native for 350 years

The gingko has already had to be replanted, because the location of the avenue is not ideal for any tree species: "we have a very nutrient-rich shell limestone, but the precipitation is missing", describes hablinger the conditions on the lagerberg. For each tree he had a hole dug in the rocky ground and filled with soil. "The next sites are already prepared."

In the pfaffenhaus jubilee year, 26 tree species were planted in one cutting, and since then the current tree of the year has been replaced every year. Sponsors are provided for years to come: "we have a waiting list", says hablinger. Anyone who still wants to be included can contact the federal forestry operation reubenberg.

This year the robinia or false acacia is tree of the year. The tree species came to germany from the usa exactly 350 years ago, reports the forester, and: "the robinia is one of the most planted trees in the world." the pioneer tree species also occurs frequently in the troop training area: decades ago, small woods were created in the countryside with the fast-growing tree. The robinia has many advantages: it tolerates heat and drought, the roots secure the soil and the first bleeding occurs after only six years. That is why the robinia is also very popular with beekeepers as a bee pasture. "The honey is mild and does not crystallize", female hablinger.

Although the robinia grows quickly, it has a harder wood than the oak, the forester reports. Their wood even has the highest calorific value of all native tree species. Because the wood is so weather-resistant, it is well suited for fence posts or vineyard trusses. It is also used as decking and for garden furniture. However, robinia never grows candles-straight: "as a sage wood it is not quite so suitable." and: apart from the blood, all parts are poisonous to humans, from the bark to the leaves to the seeds.

Diversity throughout the district

Hablinger is pleased that this year in particular, many people are taking the time to make a trip to the tree-of-the-year avenue above the saale valley. There, the tree species could be studied in a very confined space, also by school classes. At the same time, he emphasizes that the individual species do not only grow in the artificially created avenue: "all tree species that exist in germany can be found in my area", emphasizes the district forester.

The issue of biodiversity remains topical in sollberg. As part of the village renewal, the central square and the edges of the village street were cleared of asphalt and flower beds were planted in 2014. Parts of the village community tend the flower beds. Despite the many volunteer hours, there were areas with gaps in the flower carpet due to last year’s dry summer. This now required a replanting.

The board of directors of the participating community came up with the idea of involving children in the planting process. The plant locations were prepared and numbered by gunther eichler, local representative of the village renewal of sollenberg, so that the children could put their numbered plants in the right place on their own – with a little help from the adults.

It’s not always easy to find enough volunteers to maintain the grasslands. Gunther eichler felt overwhelmed at times with his few comrades-in-arms last summer while doing a lot of digging. He was therefore surprised at the rough response from children and adults. "I was so happy that day with the children", he beamed. 18 children and ten adults participated. The children were almost unstoppable in the end. Therefore, they still planted at the "triangle", where adults are supposed to be doing the work. The young gardeners also learned right away that plants need nutrients. Organic natural manure was used.

A total of 118 plants were put into the ground. Eichler had selected the flowers and perennials very carefully in advance. As one of the most active members of the state association for the protection of birds, he also knows a lot about plants. He is currently working at the district level with the relevant officials and district administrator hermann ulm (CSU) to increase the number of flower meadows.

To exchange experiences he contacted the beekeeper oliver fischer. Together with him, he had refined the selection of varieties and adapted them to food-seeking insects. Among other things, catmint, beard flower, blue rue, widow and beard flower were planted. The plants come from the schmidtlein tree nursery in effeltrich. "I think we have seldom reaped so much joy, happiness and satisfaction as with the provision of the money for the plants in sollenberg", said project manager michael ullwer from the office for rural development.

The mayor of grafenberg, hans-jurgen nekolla (SPD), was also impressed: "the village renewal of lilling-sollenberg has greatly improved the quality of life in the villages. I become really aware of this when I recall the picture of the formerly asphalted square with the glass containers in sollenberg."

"If the requirements are met, our office can also provide financial support for unsealing and courtyard redesign. We provide free professional advice", he told ullwer. For those who have no more space in their private gardens for new plants, there is another chance as part of the village renewal: the bus stop area on lillinger hohe has been redesigned. The planting can be done by the villagers again.

Parents’ association informs

Private line not affected

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