Drivers using the A71 through the Thuringian Forest faced bottlenecks on 19 February after the public-sector union Verdi staged a four-hour warning strike at the Zella-Mehlis tunnel control centre. The job action—part of a nationwide strike week at Autobahn GmbH—led to alternating single-lane traffic in the Rennsteig, Hochwald, Alte Burg and Berg Bock tunnels, although emergency staffing prevented full closures.
Verdi is demanding a 7 % pay rise or at least €300 more per month for the 14,000 employees who manage and maintain Germany’s federal motorways. Management has offered a longer 29-month contract with lower annual increases, which the union rejects. A third bargaining round is scheduled for 25–26 February but further walkouts remain possible.
![Warning strike closes lanes in A71 mountain tunnels, slowing central-Germany road traffic]()
For logistics operators the A71 is a vital north-south link connecting Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt; even short-term lane reductions can ripple into longer transit times for time-critical freight. Fleet managers reported average delays of 20 minutes per truck on Wednesday morning.
Business-travel coordinators should advise employees driving rental cars between Erfurt, Suhl and Coburg to budget extra time this week and monitor Autobahn GmbH traffic alerts. If talks fail, Verdi has hinted it could escalate to 24-hour stoppages affecting tunnel safety systems across multiple states.
Verdi is demanding a 7 % pay rise or at least €300 more per month for the 14,000 employees who manage and maintain Germany’s federal motorways. Management has offered a longer 29-month contract with lower annual increases, which the union rejects. A third bargaining round is scheduled for 25–26 February but further walkouts remain possible.
For logistics operators the A71 is a vital north-south link connecting Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt; even short-term lane reductions can ripple into longer transit times for time-critical freight. Fleet managers reported average delays of 20 minutes per truck on Wednesday morning.
Business-travel coordinators should advise employees driving rental cars between Erfurt, Suhl and Coburg to budget extra time this week and monitor Autobahn GmbH traffic alerts. If talks fail, Verdi has hinted it could escalate to 24-hour stoppages affecting tunnel safety systems across multiple states.
Source: Welt
