A three-day strike organized by train drivers’ union GDL has led to significant reorganisations, with trains running only according to an emergency timetable.
One in five long-distance high-speed rail lines is operational, and regional lines are “significantly reduced”, a spokeswoman for the Deutsche Bahn railway company said.
The dispute over wages and working hours for railway workers is a long-standing one. The GDL is asking for a reduction in the working week for its shift workers from 38 to 35 hours at the current salary. Deutsche Bahn offered flexibility in terms of working hours, but refused to reduce working hours without reducing pay.
“We are ready to compromise and gradually reduce weekly working hours so that the employer also has the opportunity to train employees,” GDL head Claus Weselsky told public broadcaster ZDF.
“If we don’t get anything by Friday, we will take a break and then move on to the next round of industrial action,” he added.
The head of the German farmers’ association DBV vowed on Wednesday to intensify the protest. Convoys of tractors and trucks blocked roads across the country earlier this week.
The protests increase pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government, which is facing increasingly serious economic problems.
Comment Read comments (5)
2024-01-10 15:46:04
in-germany-both-farmers-and-train-drivers-are-on-strike