News / Germany

German train drivers may go on strike over pay row: Union

Saturday, 18 April 2015 5:43 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 18 April 2015 7:51 AM ]

A suburban S-Bahn train, operated by national railway operator Deutsche Bahn (DB), pulls into a station in downtown Berlin. © AFP

The union representing German train drivers has threatened to stage a fresh wave of strikes on a long-running dispute over low wages, unsatisfactory working conditions and union representation.

Claus Weselsky, the head of the German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL), said on Friday that new industrial actions could be held as early as next week following a breakdown in negotiations with rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB).

He blamed the failure in the talks on “delaying tactics and nebulous announcements” on the part of the DB.

Weselsky further said the exact time and duration of the walkouts would be announced in due course.

A Deutsche Bahn spokeswoman, however, described GDL’s work stoppage announcement as “impossible to comprehend.”

DB personnel director Ulrich Weber also criticized GDL’s proposed strikes, saying, “We’re a meter from the finish line and have a package with solutions and good proposals on the table.”

The union is pushing for the right to represent all on-board personnel rather than just train drivers. It is also calling for shorter working hours and a 5-percent pay rise for some union members.

Train drivers staged several walkouts last year, causing major transport disruptions that affected over 5.5 million people and cost the German economy some 160 million dollars.

Germany has been hit with a series strikes by different sectors in recent months.

Aircrafts belonging to German carrier Lufthansa stand on the tarmac at the Frankfurt am Main airport on March 18, 2015. © AFP

Last year, pilots at Germany’s main airline, Lufthansa, staged several industrial actions in a dispute with the German flag carrier’s management over retirement arrangements.

Pilots at Lufthansa’s low-cost subsidiary, Germanwings, also went on strike over management plans to change the pilots’ transitional pension arrangements.

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