German train drivers’ union calls for fresh strike over pay
German train drivers’ union has called for a fresh nationwide strike as part of an ongoing struggle for higher pay and shorter working hours.
The GDL union, representing Germany’s train drivers, said on Monday that passenger train operators will stop working from 2 a.m. local time (0000 GMT) on Wednesday to 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Thursday, and freight trains drivers will walk off their jobs from 3:00 p.m. (1300 GMT) on Tuesday and return to work at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Friday.
This will be German train drivers’ seventh strike in 10 months. They are demanding wage increases from their employer, the national rail operator Deutsche Bahn.
The GDL, which demands a five-percent pay increase and shorter working hours, says the Deutsche Bahn has failed to act according to their agreements reached during 16 rounds of negotiations in recent months.
The new strikes are expected to cause severe disruptions to Germany’s train services. Strikes from September to November last year cost the Deutsche Bahn over 150 million euros ($160 million).
Germany has been hit with a series of strikes by different sectors in recent months.
Pilots, too
Last year, pilots at Germany’s flag carrier, Lufthansa, staged several industrial actions in a dispute with the company’s management over retirement arrangements.
Pilots at Lufthansa’s low-cost subsidiary, Germanwings, also went on strike over management plans to change the pilots’ pension arrangements.
MSM/HJL/HMV
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