The German railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) today warned of “massive effects” on rail traffic throughout Germany, due to the warning strike called by the GDL train drivers union. The strike began in freight transport during the night of Tuesday and expanded to passenger transport during the early hours of the morning. It is expected to last until Friday afternoon.
“The third strike of the GDL train drivers’ union has started yesterday afternoon in freight rail transport and today, Wednesday, until Friday at 6:00 p.m., also in passenger transport,” said DB spokesperson Achim Stauß. He also specified that, in long-distance traffic, around 20% of trains will circulate, and that also in regional connections “there will be massive restrictions” with appreciable differences between regions. Stauß recommended that passengers postpone their trips, as the tickets purchased will remain valid until after the strike.
Furthermore, he described this new strike as “completely unnecessary” and “inadmissible” for passengers, especially after last Friday DB presented a new offer to the union organization with which the company has taken “a clear step to satisfy their main demand in terms of working hours”, which makes any new protest action “completely superfluous”, he added. From DB they call on the union to “show responsibility now and return to the negotiating table, instead of going on strike in rail transport at the expense of millions of passengers.”
Demands of the GDL union
“We urge GDL to continue negotiating and finally adopt the path of compromise. GDL wants to assert its claims, otherwise it will go on strike, but that is not how collective bargaining works,” he said. GDL demands a general salary increase of 555 euros, in addition to a reduction in their work week to 35 hours. They also demand a tax-free inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros for part-time and full-time workers and 1,500 euros for apprentices.
The union also requests a 5% increase in the employer’s contribution to the company’s pension plan, an increase in the shift work allowance of 25%, among other points, all of this to be applied within a period of twelve months. The third warning strike called by GDL throughout the country in the current round of negotiations began on Tuesday at 18:00 (17:00 GMT) in freight transport and this morning, at 02:00 (01:00), in passenger transport.
