The GDL wants to strike again in the collective bargaining dispute with Deutsche Bahn. Passenger traffic will be on strike for 35 hours from Thursday at 2 a.m., freight traffic will be on strike from Wednesday evening. After that there will be “wave strikes”.
The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) has announced further strikes at Deutsche Bahn. The first strike will begin on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. in freight traffic and on Thursday at 2 a.m. in passenger traffic, said GDL boss Claus Weselsky.
This first walkout is scheduled to last 35 hours. “35 hours so that everyone in the Republic realizes what we’re all about: namely the 35-hour week,” said Weselsky. “It is the GDL that has already made extensive concessions in this collective bargaining round and it is the railway board that is not moving an inch and is driving the GDL members into further strikes.”
“Wave strikes” would then follow, explained the GDL boss. The union will no longer provide 48 hours’ notice of these work stoppages. “This means that the railway is no longer a reliable means of transport,” said Weselsky.
Severe restrictions on rail traffic expected
The GDL and the railway actually wanted to negotiate until Sunday. However, according to the company, the union broke off the talks prematurely. In a press release, the GDL accuses the railway of not conducting the negotiations in a solution-oriented manner. The talks were ended because the railway “lacked the good will to make the negotiations a success with good compromises”.
In its communication, the GDL expressly points out that no emergency timetable can be guaranteed for the following strike measures. Passengers therefore have to prepare for massive failures and restrictions in rail operations.
“The railway board is responsible for this new escalation level and not the GDL or its members,” said Weselsky. “The railway board doesn’t care about the legitimate interests of the railway workers and thus went on strike itself, so that no solution could be reached.”
Bahn criticizes GDL: “Stubborn and selfish”
Deutsche Bahn also assumes that the announced strike will have a massive impact on operations. Human resources director Martin Seiler particularly criticized the unannounced “wave strikes” plan. “These so-called wave strikes are a sheer imposition on our passengers.”
Because the train drivers’ union didn’t get its maximum demands, it went on strike again. “That’s stubborn and selfish,” said Seiler. “Many millions of people in our country cannot travel by train because the GDL leadership is unwilling to compromise.” The railway is still ready to find constructive but realistic solutions. However, the GDL’s maximum demands cannot be met and put the railway system at considerable risk.
The Pro Bahn passenger association also expressed criticism and made serious accusations against GDL and DB: “The collective bargaining partners are currently destroying the transport transition,” said Pro-Bahn boss Detlef Neuß to the Rheinische Post. “What’s going on now can no longer be conveyed to passengers.” Despite the legal autonomy in collective bargaining, it is now time for politicians to take action. “The federal government owns the railway. That’s why it has a duty to intervene.”
Bahn promises basic services
The railway stated in a statement that it wanted to keep rail traffic running as well as possible during the strike with a basic service and longer trains. Due to the limited availability, passengers are encouraged to reserve a seat as early as possible when traveling long-distance.
All passengers who bought a ticket for a trip from March 7th to 8th up to and including March 4th and would like to postpone it due to the GDL strike can use their ticket at a later date, as the railway announced. The train connection has been lifted.
The ticket is valid for the journey to the original destination, even with a changed route. Seat reservations can therefore be canceled free of charge. In addition, as part of a special gesture of goodwill, long-distance passengers will also be given the opportunity to bring their journey forward and start traveling immediately.
Weekly working hours continue to be a difficult point
It is the fifth industrial dispute in the collective bargaining dispute that has been going on for months. A sticking point in the negotiations so far is the union’s demand for a reduction in weekly working hours from 38 to 35 hours from 2028 with full wage compensation.
The railway initially rejected this outright, but later offered an option model. This means that train drivers could work down to 37 hours per week in 2026, but in return they would have to forego an additional salary increase offered. Overall, the company offers up to 13 percent more wages.
In its demands, the GDL mentions, among other things, a general wage increase of 555 euros. Allowances are to be increased by 25 percent. There will also be an inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros for full- and part-time employees and 1,500 euros for trainees. The training allowance should increase by at least 324 euros and be equalized across all railways. There are also other demands, such as an increase in the employer’s share of company pension schemes to five percent. The new collective agreement should then run for twelve months.