First the GDL turned down an offer from Deutsche Bahn, now it is taking legal action against the train drivers’ strike.
Deutsche Bahn is taking legal action against the strike of the train drivers’ union GDL. The group has filed an application for an injunction against the labor dispute before the labor court in Frankfurt am Main, as the company announced on Thursday. “The right to strike is a valuable asset. However, strikes are only permitted if they are within the framework of applicable law. In our opinion, this is not the case with the GDL strikes,” said Bahn Personnel Director Martin Seiler, according to the announcement.
The GDL had started its five-day strike in passenger traffic that night despite a new tariff offer from the railway. According to the group, a replacement timetable applies, with which around 25 percent of long-distance trains should run. For regional traffic, the goal is to drive 40 percent of the regular range. GDL boss Claus Weselsky rejected the new offer. “The strike continues.”
DB had to act in the interests of the customer
Seiler explained: “We have now submitted the third improved offer – without the GDL having seriously entered into negotiations with us.” The union also rejected the suggestion to seek a solution with the help of an arbitrator or moderator. In the interests of customers and employees, the group has now had to act and will therefore have the strikes legally reviewed. The procedure brings back memories of November 2014, when the GDL won two instances of the labor courts in Frankfurt and the union then surprisingly broke off the strike. Seven years ago, Deutsche Bahn argued in vain that the strike had caused disproportionate damage.
At large train stations such as Munich or Hanover, the situation was initially calm on Thursday morning because obviously many passengers had informed themselves about the strike. “Participation in the strike is good because the frustration is enormous,” said a GDL spokesman in Bavaria. Deutsche Bahn recommends postponing trips. All long-distance tickets booked for the time of the strike should remain valid. In the case of special offers, the train connection is canceled.
Weselsky: “The aim is to destroy the existence of the GDL”
The strike is the third in the current wage dispute and should last until early Tuesday morning. The strike wave in freight traffic started on Wednesday. Shortly afterwards, the railway presented a new offer. It contains a corona premium of up to 600 euros and provides for a term of the collective agreement of 36 months. So far, the group had offered a term of 40 months and had not quantified the amount of the premium.
A corona bonus of 600 euros is one of the union’s most important demands. The GDL does not want to go beyond 28 months for the duration. In addition, the first tariff level of 1.7 percent is to be paid out for the current year. Weselsky complained in the ARD “Morgenmagazin” that the new offer was also “unacceptable” in terms of content. So it contains a zero round for this year.
According to Weselsky’s presentation, the railway demands that the scope of application be limited to the current collective agreement. In his view, this threatens a split in the union with members of the first and second class. “The aim of the railway board is to destroy the existence of the GDL,” said Weselsky.
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