Public transport networks in many of Germany's major cities have been hit by a strike by 67,000 workers demanding a substantial payrise.
Commuters in Hanover, Frankfurt and Cologne had to find alternative ways to travel as unions flexed their muscles with what they called "warning strikes" ahead of pay talks in Potsdam next week.
The unions are demanding an 8 per cent pay rise - or a minimum of 200-euros a month - for the 1.3-million public sector workers they represent.
Until now, the public authorities which employ them have offered 5 per cent over two years, with an increase in working hours.
In recent years, German workers have responded to calls for wage-restraint, but economic growth increased in 2006 and 2007, and now various sectors are demanding substantial increases.
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