A deserted platform at Frankfurt station during a strike by train drivers, November 16, 2023 in Germany (AFP/Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV)
A strike by train drivers, to support wage demands in the face of high inflation, severely disrupted rail traffic in Germany on Thursday.
Only 20% of long-distance connections are running, while local transport “cannot run at all” in some areas, said a spokesman for the national railway company, Deutsche Bahn, Achim Stauss.
The one-day strike began Wednesday evening and was scheduled to last until 6 p.m. (5 p.m. GMT) on Thursday.
Travelers interviewed by AFP on a station platform in Berlin most often reacted with anger or incomprehension.
The strike is “perhaps important for the people” who follow it, “but the way the union is acting is not acceptable”, Carmen gets angry.
The demands of train drivers “are excessive”, said Christine van der Koelen, another traveler. “Ultimately, the parties have to negotiate” but “I find it problematic that we, the travelers, are forced to endure this,” she adds.
Deutsche Bahn has offered train drivers an 11% wage increase over 32 months, as well as a “compensatory bonus to cope with inflation” of up to 2,850 euros.
An information board on canceled trains during a drivers’ strike on November 16, 2023 at Frankfurt station, Germany (AFP/Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV)
The GDL drivers’ union is demanding a salary agreement limited to a period of twelve months, with new negotiations thereafter.
During this period he asks for 555 euros more per month on average, a reduction in working hours from 38 to 35 hours without loss of salary and a non-taxable bonus of 3,000 euros to compensate for inflation.
The GDL represents around 10,000 employees in its negotiations with Deutsche Bahn, including drivers but also agents working on the trains.
© 2023 AFP
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