Accompanied by growing criticism, Deutsche Bahn train drivers have once again stopped work. The strike in passenger transport began on Tuesday night at 2 a.m. and is expected to last 24 hours, as a railway spokeswoman confirmed in the morning. Passengers must expect major restrictions. The railway has organized an emergency timetable that secures around a fifth of long-distance train traffic. Regional transport and the S-Bahn of Deutsche Bahn are also affected. The offer there can vary greatly depending on the region. Even after the strike ended on Wednesday, passengers must continue to expect train cancellations and delays. The strike in freight transport began on Monday evening.
This is already the sixth industrial action by the German Locomotive Drivers’ Union (GDL) in the current collective bargaining round. On Monday, the railway tried unsuccessfully to have the strike stopped in court – and then announced that it would appeal to the Hessian State Labor Court. “The strike announcement is far too short-term, and there are also unlawful demands,” said Florian Weh, general manager of the rail employers’ association AGV Move, after the labor court’s decision. “In the interest of our customers, we are doing everything we can to stop the wave strike.”
The appeal is not scheduled to be heard until Tuesday around noon – after the strike begins. If the Hessian State Labor Court decides differently than the Frankfurt Labor Court, the GDL would have to interrupt its strike. However, this would not mean an immediate end to the restrictions for passengers.
GDL demands a reduction in working hours
The previous GDL strike only ended on Friday last week, and the union announced the next strike on Sunday evening. Business representatives criticized the actions as an abuse of the right to strike and a burden on Germany as a business location. The railway spoke of an unreasonable expectation for millions of rail passengers and the economy.
The union is fighting for higher salaries and fewer working hours at the railway. The crux of the conflict continues to be the demand that shift workers only have to work 35 hours instead of the current 38 hours for the same money. In a moderation, the railway accepted a compromise proposal. This envisaged reducing working hours to 36 hours in two steps by 2028. The GDL refused and allowed the talks to fail. It no longer announces new strikes 48 hours in advance, but rather at short notice. The GDL and its chairman Claus Weselsky have also not ruled out strikes over Easter.
Deutsche Bahn customers have been exposed to repeated strikes for almost a year. Before the GDL, the larger railway and transport union had fought for a better tariff with two warning strikes last spring; a third warning strike was stopped by the courts. The GDL’s labor disputes began in the fall.