GDL strike: Claus Weselsky satisfied, only a few affected

GDL strike: Claus Weselsky satisfied, only a few affected

The train drivers’ strike lasts a full weekend for the first time. However, only a fifth of the people are affected by the strike. GDL boss Weselsky is satisfied with his walkout.

The strike by the German Locomotive Drivers’ Union (GDL) will also lead to significant restrictions on long-distance and regional transport over the weekend. Anyone who is dependent on the rail these days as a football fan, day tripper, partner in a long-distance relationship or as a weekly commuter needs an alternative. The strike is not scheduled to end until Monday evening at 6 p.m. According to Deutsche Bahn, it will at least take until Tuesday morning for everything to return to normal. It is the first time in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute that a strike by the GDL lasts the entire weekend.

Only one in five affected by the GDL strike

However, only around 20 percent of citizens feel directly affected, according to a Yougov survey commissioned by the DPA news agency. The strike has no impact on more than a quarter. Around a third of those surveyed are not planning to travel by train in the next few weeks and would not be influenced by possible further strikes, even if the collective bargaining dispute were to drag on.

The numbers reflect the general traffic behavior of citizens. According to the Federal Environment Agency, only around a fifth of the total transport performance in Germany in recent years has been accounted for by the so-called environmental network, which also includes the railways. So significantly fewer people regularly take the train than by car.

Handball and football fans feel the strike

Handball and football fans are most likely to feel the effects of the strike at the weekend. The final weekend of the European Handball Championship will take place in Cologne. Those fans, teams and officials who have to travel from the main round venue Hamburg to Cologne are particularly affected. The German Handball Association and the European Handball Federation appealed to fans at the beginning of the week to find “joint solutions”. “It is recommended to form carpools and use common portals for this purpose,” said the associations.

In the Bundesliga, the GDL strike is likely to have an impact, among other things, on the arrival and departure of spectators for the match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FSV Mainz 05 on Friday evening (8.30 p.m./DAZN). The railway explicitly asked all football fans to allow enough time for their journey and to find out about travel options and alternatives in advance and shortly before they start their journey. Eintracht Frankfurt is adjusting the stadium opening time due to the special conditions: the stadium opening will be brought forward by one hour to 5:30 p.m., as the club announced.

60 percent reject industrial action

Even if, according to the survey, only a minority is affected by the GDL’s strike, a majority rejects the industrial action. More than 60 percent of those surveyed have little or no understanding of the measures. Only eleven percent can “fully” understand the train drivers’ strike.

Claus Weselsky, head of the train drivers’ union GDL, views his strike quite differently: “I’m experiencing discipline across the board. The mood is excellent,” he told the “Rheinische Post”. There is also solidarity with the railway workers among the population: “Many more customers understand the strike than some claim,” said the union leader.

Weselsky: Maybe the strikes will last longer

“We will bring this strike to a successful end and then we will see what happens,” Weselsky continued. If there is no movement from the railway leadership, “we will strike again. And then maybe even longer.”

Weselsky also criticized calls for the right to strike to be tightened in the “Rheinische Post”. It is “brazen” to want to restrict the rights of workers just because they are fighting for better working hours and higher income. “We won’t make a single concession when it comes to the right to strike. Then we’d be stupid.”

Source: Stern

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