Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) Image: AFP
At the start of the GDL’s six-day strike at Deutsche Bahn, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) sharply criticized the behavior of the train drivers’ union.
At the start of the GDL’s six-day strike at Deutsche Bahn, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) sharply criticized the behavior of the train drivers’ union. “The fact that a strike has now been called for the fourth time in the ongoing conflict without even talking to each other is unacceptable,” said Wissing to the “Bild” newspaper (Wednesday edition).
It looks more and more like “the conflict is completely deadlocked,” said the FDP politician. “That’s why a moderator should be involved.” Wissing called on the collective bargaining parties to “find solutions at the negotiating table or initiate arbitration.” The strike is not only an enormous burden on the national economy, but also nerve-wracking for all travelers and commuters.
The strike by train drivers in passenger transport began nationwide early Wednesday morning. The railway’s freight traffic has also been on strike since Tuesday evening. The strike is scheduled to end on Monday at 6 p.m.
The mega-strike is the fourth in the current round of collective bargaining, which began at the beginning of November: in November and December, the union backed up its demands with a one-day warning strike, followed by a three-day strike in January. The GDL’s core demand is a reduction in weekly working hours from 38 to 35 hours. The railway has so far offered an optional model for reducing working hours by one hour per week from 2026.
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