Passenger train drivers in Germany walked off the job Wednesday and vowed not to return for six days as part of a strike over working conditions and wages that is expected to end most long-distance rail travel and suburbs across the country.
The strike, one of the largest in the national rail service in years, was announced Monday by Claus Weselsky, president of the GDL, a union that represents German train drivers. Mr Weselsky, at a recent press conference, said negotiations with railway bosses had failed and accused the chief negotiator of the national railway company, Deutsche Bahn, of “deceit and deception”, especially regarding the latest offer.
The railway strike, the fourth in two months, comes amid the risk of reduced funding for the rail system after a court ruling blocked the government from reallocating money from a pandemic fund from coronavirus to green projects. This is also part of a trend towards deterioration in the performance of German trains. More broadly, there is general dissatisfaction with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s administration, which is beset by infighting and seen by some as removed from the problems facing ordinary Germans.
This time the strike is planned for the whole weekend and will therefore affect more leisure travelers than the previous recent strikes, which took place during the week and lasted no more than three days. Freight train drivers went on strike Tuesday evening.
About 7.3 million people In Germany, they travel every day on trains operated by Deutsche Bahn, and that number is growing as more travelers turn to rail due to concerns about climate change. Deutsche Bahn trains also transport around 600,000 tons of goods every day, according to federal data.
Deutsche Bahn tried to obtain an emergency injunction ahead of a three-day strike this month, but a Frankfurt court ruled the union had the right to strike. The company said Monday it would not go to court to try to force employees back to work.
The most contentious issue in the labor dispute is the number of hours drivers who work a shift schedule are required to work. The union demanded a 35-hour week, while Deutsche Bahn proposed 37 hours a week. Drivers currently work 38 hours per week. The union is also demanding a pay increase of 555 euros, or about $600, per month for all of its workers, equivalent to an 18 percent increase over starting salaries. Deutsche Bahn’s latest offer, which the union rejected, provides an increase of almost 13 percent for workers working the full 38-hour week.
Mr. Weselsky said his union was pushing for changes to make the job more attractive to young people.
On Monday, Volker Wissing, Germany’s transport minister, criticized the strike, saying the dispute over contracts was taking an “increasingly destructive tone” and that he had “no sympathy” for the union.
“I don’t think Mr. Weselsky is doing himself or his union any favors with this style,” Mr. Wissing said.
As in many other European countries, trains in Germany constitute an important mode of transport for a significant part of the population, providing both a regular service between major cities and short journeys to and from work. Nevertheless, Germany’s approximately 25,000 miles of railway tracks are overloaded and less than 65 percent intercity trains ran on time last year, according to Deutsche Bahn’s own figures. Mr Scholz’s government has promised to invest in rebuilding older lines, but this construction will take years and the network risks further deterioration in the meantime.
Two main unions represent railway workers in Germany. The largest company, EVG, settled a dispute with Deutsche Bahn last year over wage increases to keep up with inflation. Those raises amounted to an increase of about 410 euros per month, or about $445, and a one-time tax-free bonus worth about $3,100. According to Christian Böttger, a professor at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences who studies rail transportation, the deal means Deutsche Bahn is more willing to play hardball with the smaller GDL, to which most train drivers belong.
“When it comes to current issues, the two sides are not that far apart,” said Professor Böttger, referring to GDL and Deutsche Bahn.
Markus Hecht, a rail transport expert at the Technical University of Berlin, said he feared the six-day strike would harm Deutsche Bahn’s goal of attracting new passengers and freight, one of the declared climate objectives of Mr. Scholz’s three projects. coalition of parties. If the rail system were deemed unreliable, Professor Hecht said, travelers and businesses might look elsewhere to get around.
“This will have a huge impact that goes far beyond this time,” Professor Hecht said. “It will also have negative long-term effects.”
