11/15/2023 11:20 pm (current 11/15/2023 11:30 pm)
The union called a 20-hour warning strike ©APA/dpa
Rail travelers in Germany have to prepare for massive restrictions due to a 20-hour warning strike by train drivers’ union GDL on Thursday. The strike began on Wednesday night, at 10pm, and will last until Thursday, at 6pm. Deutsche Bahn has drawn up an emergency timetable; assumes that “less than 20 percent of ICE and IC trains” and almost no regional trains will run on Thursday. ÖBB trains are also affected.
A Deutsche Bahn spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday evening that the warning strike was underway. The company advised passengers in advance to postpone non-essential trips and referred to the goodwill rules for using tickets booked on its website. According to oebb.at, nine night trains were canceled at ÖBB. Another nine night trains and several long-distance trains to and from Germany will be operated on a short-haul basis.
Intra-Austrian daytime traffic between Salzburg and Tyrol via the Deutsche Eck is not affected, but due to the construction site there are diversions and trains that operate as rail replacement services. Westbahn trains between Munich and Vienna will also not be affected by the strike.
It is the first industrial action in the ongoing collective dispute between the railways and GDL. The union surprisingly announced the warning strike on Tuesday, just days after the first round of negotiations between the two sides in Berlin. During last week’s talks, the collective bargaining parties initially agreed on a negotiation calendar with weekly meetings.
The next round of negotiations was scheduled for this Thursday and Friday. After the strike notice was announced, the railway canceled the conversation. “Either you attack or you negotiate. You can’t do both at the same time,” said Human Resources Director Martin Seiler. “Anyone who breaks these agreements in this way and calls for strikes at short notice and thus holds travelers accountable cannot expect us to continue sitting at the negotiating table.”
GDL head Claus Weselsky emphasized that warning attacks during ongoing negotiations were not uncommon. “This is a completely normal process in collective bargaining when employees realize the other party needs help.” At the same time, the GDL announced that it would attend Thursday’s hearing despite the railway’s cancellation. But the union president will not be present. He is expected at a rally in Schwerin.
Weselsky justified the warning strike with Deutsche Bahn’s refusal to meet one of the union’s main demands. Among other things, it requires an additional 555 euros per month, as well as an inflation compensation bonus exempt from taxes and fees for a period of twelve months. The point of contention, however, is the GDL’s demand for a reduction in working hours from 38 to 35 hours per week for shift workers on full salary pay. The railroad rejects this as impossible.
In the first round of negotiations, employers offered, among other things, 11% higher wages for a period of 32 months, as well as the inflation compensation bonus required by the GDL. The union rejected the offer.