Strike at the start of the Hannover Messe

"With all due respect for the right to strike, it is in no way comprehensible to me that the location is being deliberately damaged in this way. The strike represents a considerable and disproportionate imposition for Hannover as a trade fair venue and threatens to cause lasting damage," says Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman and CEO of Deutsche Messe.

Thousands of international guests are particularly affected, some of whom are traveling from far away and cannot rely on a functioning local public transport system. This results in considerable damage to Hannover's image as an international trade fair and business location.

Measures to support exhibitors and visitors

Deutsche Messe has launched a package of measures to cushion the impact of the strike as much as possible:

Bus shuttle service from Hanover Central Station: direct shuttle connections from Hanover Central Station and Hanover Bismarckstrasse Station to the exhibition grounds; on-site guides will provide information about these travel options and direct visitors to the shuttle buses. (Use of twelve articulated buses and four city buses in the period from 06:00 to 19:00)

Shuttle bus service from hotels: Additional buses will be used to transport guests from highly frequented hotels to the exhibition grounds.

Expansion of the S-Bahn service: An additional connection will supplement the direct S-Bahn service from the main station to the Messebahnhof/Laatzen. This will provide three S-Bahn connections every hour from 6:30 am to 8 pm.

Increased cab capacity: Additional capacity will be organized in close coordination with the cab industry.

Catering during waiting times: During possible waiting times, guests will be provided with drinks and snacks at the exhibition center to make their stay as pleasant as possible.

Broad-based communication: Exhibitors, visitors and partners will be kept continuously informed via all relevant channels.

Deutsche Messe is making a clear appeal to ver.di to maintain a sense of proportion and to take appropriate account of the importance of Hannover Messe for the location. The trade fair's partner associations, the VDMA (German Engineering Federation) and the ZVEI (German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association), fully endorse this appeal:

Thilo Brodtmann, VDMA Managing Director:
"Anyone who wants to willfully damage the reputation of Germany as an industrial location around the world is calling for a strike for the first two days of the Hannover Messe. While future technologies are being presented in the halls, visitors from Germany and abroad will be stranded at the airport, at the train station or in their hotels because there are no buses or trains running. Of course, the right to strike is undisputed. But Verdi must ask itself whether its particular interests are really worth providing the world with further images of a non-functioning German infrastructure. In the end, we will all pay a high price for this - for the disservice the union is doing us here."

Wolfgang Weber, Chairman of the ZVEI Management Board:
"The warning strike is completely disproportionate. Verdi is showing ignorance towards Germany as a business location and is causing it serious damage. The right to strike is a valuable asset and should be used responsibly. Unfortunately, Verdi has failed to demonstrate this. It is not only exhibitors, visitors and international guests who suffer. Ultimately, it is also the employees: almost 900,000 people are employed in the electrical and digital industry."