The strike of the train drivers’ union GDL at Deutsche Bahn is in full swing. Freight transport workers have been resting their work since Saturday, and the labor dispute was extended to passenger transport on the night of Monday.
The union of German locomotive drivers (GDL) extended its strike at Deutsche Bahn early Monday morning to include passenger transport. “We went on strike punctually at two o’clock in the morning,” said an employee of the German Locomotive Drivers’ Union (GDL) in the early Monday morning of the German press agency. By Wednesday morning, 2 a.m., millions of travelers have to be prepared for massive restrictions, especially in long-distance traffic. In addition to the train drivers, employees in the infrastructure – for example in the signal boxes – are again called on to stop their work.
GDL rejects a “sham offer”
The railway failed on Sunday when it tried to avert the strike in passenger traffic. She agreed to negotiate a corona bonus for employees, one of the GDL demands. However, the GDL saw this as a “sham offer” and stuck to the strike plans.
An exact assessment of the effects will only be possible after the start of operations in the morning, the Deutsche Bahn announced at night. In regional and S-Bahn traffic, a traffic volume of around 40 percent of the railways is expected. The company wants to run around a quarter of the long-distance trains. There should be a train every two hours, especially on some of the main axes. But the offer will be distributed very differently from region to region, it said. Train cancellations and delays are becoming the norm.
Second wave of strikes in the current wage dispute
The group assumes that long-distance traffic will normalize again in the course of Wednesday. It is already the second wave of strikes in the ongoing collective bargaining conflict between Deutsche Bahn and GDL. About two weeks ago, the union paralyzed large parts of passenger traffic for two days. This time, however, the travelers had more time to prepare for the labor dispute. GDL boss Claus Weselsky had already announced the strike action on Friday.
“It is not the aim of the railway workers in Germany to paralyze rail traffic,” he said on Friday. “The goal is to achieve better incomes, to protect small pensions.”
The wage dispute is, among other things, about more money for employees. Both sides agree on the level of future wages and salaries: there should be 3.2 percent more. But there is disagreement about the timing of the payout. There are also unanswered questions about the company pension, the amount of a possible corona premium for employees and the GDL’s sphere of influence.
Transport Minister Scheuer calls for a quick agreement
Last but not least, the trade union is also concerned with its own influence in the group, which it sees as endangered by the so-called collective bargaining law. The law stipulates that in a company with two competing trade unions only the collective agreements of the employee representatives with a larger number of members apply. In the case of Deutsche Bahn companies, this is usually the larger railway and transport union (EVG).
Most recently, Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) asked both sides to return to the negotiating table. “Do not destroy the good development after the long Covid lean spell with a protracted # tariff conflict! The situation is worrying,” he wrote on Twitter with a view to long-distance traffic, which is slowly recovering after the Corona crisis.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
