GDL boss wedges against rail
Weselsky: We will strike “perhaps for longer.”
January 26, 2024, 7:12 a.m
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The current strike by the train drivers’ union is expected to last until Monday – and would therefore be the longest in the history of the railway. Despite the massive disruption, Weselsky sees “understanding” among rail customers. The GDL boss is already thinking about the next record strike.
The head of the train drivers’ union GDL, Claus Weselsky, has drawn a positive interim assessment of the current rail strike despite criticism. “I experience discipline across the board. The mood is excellent,” Weselsky told the Düsseldorf “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 boss.
“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.” At the same time, Weselsky rejected allegations that the GDL was causing significant economic damage with its walkout. “That’s nonsense. We are not responsible for the alleged economic damage, but rather the railway management.”
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.”
Weselsky: CDU has “run down” the railway
“If the Union is thinking about it, that is also significant,” the GDL boss continued. “Because it was the CDU that ran the railway down in the privatization frenzy.” The Union is responsible for the fact that the railway has become an ailing company “that is not able to get its customers to their destinations on time.” The employees are not responsible for this.
Weselsky has currently rejected arbitration of the collective bargaining dispute. “So far, I don’t see it. I’m refusing arbitration for just as long as Human Resources Director Seiler is refusing to conclude collective agreements with me about other professional groups in the company.” The GDL has been on strike on freight traffic since Tuesday evening and on Deutsche Bahn passenger traffic since Wednesday morning. The strike is not scheduled to end until next Monday evening and would therefore be the longest GDL strike in the history of the railway.