The German Railway Drivers’ Union (GDL) on Monday called for a new six-day railway strike in Germany starting on Wednesday.
This would be the longest-running protest action organised by the GDL in the dispute with rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) over wages and working hours.
The strike is expected to start at 2:00 local time (3:00 CET) on Wednesday and will last until next Monday at 18:00 local time (19:00 CET). As far as rail freight is concerned, the work stoppage will start as early as 5pm on Tuesday, GDL said in a press release. This will be the fourth strike organised by the GDL in an attempt to obtain higher wages to compensate for the effects of inflation and to reduce the working week from 38 to 35 hours without a reduction in wages. The previous three-day strike earlier this month caused chaos for thousands of passengers as 80% of long-distance train journeys were cancelled.
A new railway strike in Germany after management’s offer was rejected
State rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) has tried to bring the union back to the negotiating table with a new offer on pay and working conditions, which was tabled on Friday but rejected by GDL.
“With this third offer, which should have been an improved one, Deutsche Bahn has once again shown that it shows no signs of being willing to reach an agreement,” the GDL said in a press release.
In response, Deutsche Bahn’s management team criticised the GDL union’s new strike call, saying it had offered a pay rise of up to 13%, as well as the option of reducing weekly working hours by one hour. “Anyone who won’t even come back to the negotiating table after a new offer of up to 13% and the possibility of a 37-hour working week at the same pay is acting irresponsibly,” a Deutsche Bahn spokesman said.
Another industrial dispute last year pitted Deutsche Bahn management against the EVG union representing other railway employees. An agreement was eventually reached in August.
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