Short Answer
Federal labor court rulings place the complete spatial commuting risk entirely on the individual employee during public transport strikes.
A total shutdown of the national rail network does not excuse your absence or obligate your company to compensate you for missing hours.
What Most Expats Don't Realize
You woke up to a complete nationwide train strike and stayed at home, assuming your manager could not legally penalize you for an unpreventable transit failure. The company deducted an entire day's worth of wages from your monthly paycheck and issued a formal warning letter (Abmahnung) for unauthorized absence. You lost €250 in direct income and permanently damaged your promotion standing because you failed to arrange alternate transit.
What To Do
- Call your direct department lead the exact hour a public transit strike is announced in the local news.
- Ask your manager for an official written exception to work remotely from your laptop during the travel disruption.
- "Da die Züge streiken, beantrage ich für diesen Tag die Arbeit im Homeoffice." (Since the trains are striking, I apply to work from home for this day.) — send this clear request via email to secure your compensation tracking.
The Truth
Germans are expected to be "planful." A strike is announced in advance, so "I couldn't find a way" is seen as a lack of organizational skill rather than a valid excuse for absence.