The day after the warning strike by the train drivers’ union GDL, Deutsche Bahn wants to bring almost normal passenger transport services back onto the rails.
However, DB spokesman Achim Stauß warned in the evening that the trains would likely become very full because many passengers had postponed their trips. “The trains will be very busy, especially in the morning hours,” said Stauß.
He advised passengers to reserve seats if possible or to postpone their travel plans even further – the tickets for connections during the warning strike would still be valid later. “A few canceled trains as a result of the GDL strike are possible, especially during the morning start-up,” the company announced online.
According to DB information, the industrial action ended at 10 p.m. that evening, as announced by the union. “Even after 10 p.m., long-distance and regional traffic will run according to the emergency timetable,” it said, with a view to the evening and the night of Saturday.
In the hours before, the GDL had largely paralyzed passenger and freight traffic. There was a strike in freight transport starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday evening, and in passenger transport the strike began four hours later.
In long-distance transport, the railway was able to put around 20 percent of the originally planned program on the rails according to an emergency timetable. The situation in regional transport was very different: in some regions there were hardly any trains, in others individual lines. Replacement buses were also used during the 24-hour warning strike.
Weselsky: “We will crack them”
It was the second industrial dispute in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute between the railways and the GDL. The Transdev company was also on strike, and here too there is currently no progress in the collective bargaining dispute. Union leader Claus Weselsky was confident that the warning strike would be able to enforce the demands of the railway board. “We will crack them,” said the GDL boss in front of demonstrators in Potsdam.
He appeared at a rally on the sidelines of collective bargaining for the federal states’ public services. With the campaign, the civil service association dbb, of which the GDL is a member, wanted to demonstrate solidarity with railway employees.
Survey: 60 percent have no understanding of the warning strike
The effects on freight transport were also serious, with train drivers stopping work for 28 hours. Around 170 freight trains had already backed up in Bavaria due to the winter chaos, as the railway announced on Thursday. “It is feared that this number will double,” said a spokesman.
While Weselsky appeared confident of victory, according to a survey by the Yougov Institute, many people in Germany were annoyed by the renewed warning strike. Almost 60 percent of those surveyed said they had no understanding of the GDL’s strike under its boss Claus Weselsky. 30 percent, however, expressed understanding for the industrial dispute.
Progress of negotiations remains unclear
If you count the industrial action by the larger railway and transport union (EVG) in the first half of the year, this is the fourth warning strike this year that has led to far-reaching restrictions for passengers. There is already a deal with the EVG. The GDL, in turn, declared collective bargaining with the railways to have failed around two weeks ago. It is unclear when and how we will speak to each other again.
The crux of the negotiations is primarily the GDL’s demand to reduce working hours for shift workers from 38 to 35 hours. The railway fundamentally rejects this and points out that it would then need ten percent more staff in the relevant professions. In addition, the union is demanding, among other things, 555 euros more per month as well as a tax- and duty-free inflation compensation bonus. The railway has already promised, among other things, eleven percent more, with a term of 32 months.
After the warning strike, passengers can now breathe deeply. GDL boss Weselsky has ruled out further labor disputes up to and including January 7th. After that, the labor disputes are expected to become longer and more intense. The GDL is currently holding a strike vote among its members on indefinite strikes. The result is expected on December 19th.
