Rail workers went on strike in Germany, with workers demanding a rise in pay to match inflation, writes dw.com.

The rail strike was organized by the EVG Union, which represents railway workers.

The work stoppage is set to coincide with a strike at the airports in Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne/Bonn and Stuttgart organized by the Verdi union. The strike began at 3 a.m. and is scheduled to run until 11 a.m. local time (0100 to 0900 UTC/GMT). The train network was expected to be impacted all day. Germany’s national rail company, Deutsche Bahn, said all its long-distance connections and most commuter trains would be canceled until 1 p.m.

The EVG is negotiating on behalf of 230,000 workers and is seeking a 12% wage increase, or at least an additional USD 715 per month. Deutsche Bahn has put forth a pay increase of 5%, as well as one-off payments of up to €2,500. EVG said the strike aims to push employers to “finally make a negotiable offer”.