BERLIN: Passengers in Germany faced new travel disruption amid walkouts across the rail network and airports to back demands for higher wages.

Germany has been troubled by strikes for months as workers and management wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity. Industrial action has hit the transport sector, supermarkets and the civil service.

Rail workers began a 35-hour strike on freight services on Wednesday and on passenger services on Thursday morning.

The length of the strike is intended to underline a key ask of the GDL train drivers union to reduce the working week to 35 hours from 38. Rail employees have been staging strikes for months to demand a pay rise to help members manage the higher cost of living in light of inflation. A walkout by train drivers in January caused travel disruption for thousands of passengers over several days.

The more limited walk out was the beginning of a `wave of strikes`, GDL boss Claus Weselsky said this week.-AFP