Hundreds of thousands of German citizens are grappling with railway cancellations due to a train drivers strike that began January 10.
According to Reuters, the strike that was organized by the GDL train drivers’ union from Janaury 10 to January 12 has forced German railway operator Deutsche Bahn to run only stripped-back emergency timetables.
Strike actions flared up again following a three-week truce between the GDL and Deutsche Bahn over Christmas. Though Deutsche Bahn attempted to block the current strikes with a court injunction, that effort was unsuccessful.
The GDL said it’s hoping to reduce its work week from 38 hours to 35 hours for shift workers without being forced to take a pay cut. However, Deutsche Bahn has refused to offer fewer working hours without first reducing worker pay. The company also claimed that meeting the union’s demands would result in a 50% increase in staffing costs.
“We are prepared to make compromises and gradually reduce the weekly working hours so that the employer side also has the opportunity to train staff,” said GDL head Claus Weselsky. “If we get nothing by Friday, we’ll take a break, then enter the next round of industrial action.”
At this time, only 20% of long-distance, high-speed rail services are running in the country, while regional services have been “massively thinned out,” said a Deutsche Bahn spokesperson.
Cargo train drivers have also joined the protests, agreeing to strike until January 12. This is expected to cause supply chain disruptions because roughly a fifth of all German freight is transported via railways.
