Railway strike in Germany starting Wednesday

01/07/2024 7:16 pm (current 01/07/2024 7:16 pm)

GDL union wants strike from Wednesday to Friday ©APA/dpa-Zentralbild

The German locomotive drivers' union (GDL) does not want to start the strikes announced in passenger transport on Monday, but rather on Wednesday night. The strike is expected to last until Friday night. “The GDL members of Deutsche Bahn AG, Transdev and City Bahn Chemnitz are being asked to stop their work from January 10th at 2am to January 12th at 6pm,” the GDL announced on Sunday evening.

The strike at DB Cargo, however, begins on January 9th, at 6pm. It was said that the railway company did not take advantage of the Christmas truce to counteract industrial action with a negotiable offer. The railroad presented a new offer on Friday and stated that it wanted to avoid strikes.

In the ongoing collective bargaining dispute, the GDL had already obtained the green light from its members for indefinite strikes before Christmas. GDL head Claus Weselsky announced that travelers would have to expect longer labor disputes from January 8th. However, the German Civil Service Association recently stated that there would probably be no strike on Monday and Tuesday in view of an important meeting of the association, of which the GDL is also a member.