BERLIN: A major strike brought much of Germany’s air traffic, rail service and commuter lines to a halt on Monday as workers demand wage hikes in the face of brisk inflation.

Workers at airports, ports, railways, buses and metro lines throughout much of Europe’s top economy heeded a call by the Verdi and EVG unions for the 24-hour walkout.

The EVG union hailed the mass walkouts as a success.

“We assume that the employers will have understood this clear signal and will now finally present negotiable offers,” said EVG’s deputy chairwoman Cosima Ingenschay.

Berlin’s usually bustling central train station was mostly quiet, after the national railway cancelled long-distance and regional links across the country.

Arrival and departure boards at Frankfurt airport, the nation’s biggest, and Munich airport showed rows of cancelled flights.

Freddie Schwarze, who was on strike at Munich airport, said: “We are ready for more strikes in any case. We have started and we won’t stop. That’s for sure.”

Georg Bachmaier, who works at the Federal Waterways and Shipping Office, said he had joined the walkout because “we can no longer afford our lives”.

“When we go shopping, we have to think do we buy this or not, we need the money to finance our lives and that’s why we’re here.”

As the industrial action was largely publicised, many commuters had switched to other modes of transport.

Cashier Steffi Wisser, 46, voiced understanding for the strike.