A little breather?
Deutsche Bahn trains are rolling again – for now
January 13, 2024, 10:51 a.m
The railway strikes paralyzed half of Germany for three days. Now traffic is back to normal. However, the question is, for how long? Because GDL boss Claus Weselsky is already threatening to step up if the company doesn’t come to its senses.
After the three-day strike by the train drivers’ union GDL, Deutsche Bahn is back on the normal timetable. A spokesman for the federally owned company said traffic started as planned and smoothly in the morning.
The GDL had put a nationwide strike on rail passenger traffic from Wednesday morning to Friday evening, causing thousands of train cancellations. After the labor dispute ended, the railway initially continued to operate according to an emergency timetable in order to prepare for a smooth start to operations this Saturday morning.
In freight transport, the railway said it was able to run all time-critical, supply-relevant trains for the economy despite the strike. This includes deliveries for power plants and steel mills that need to fill their blast furnaces.
GDL boss: The next industrial dispute will be harder and longer
There are still no new collective bargaining negotiations between the railways and the GDL train drivers’ union in sight. Their boss Claus Weselsky has already threatened further and harder strikes: “After these strike measures have been completed, we will give the company some time to come to its senses,” said Weselsky on Friday evening. “If they don’t do that, the next industrial action will follow. It will be longer and it will hit the company even harder.”
The union wants the weekly working hours for shift workers to be reduced from 38 to 35 hours with full wage compensation. The railway has so far rejected this and has offered to expand existing working time models. Anyone who reduces their working hours in this context must accept financial losses.
The GDL’s industrial action is met with skepticism by the majority in Germany. According to a survey, only 43 percent of those surveyed understand the strike, while 54 percent oppose it.