German train drivers announce 35-hour strike from Thursday

BERLIN

German train drivers have announced that they will cease work for 35 hours from Thursday, over an ongoing dispute with the national rail operator about pay and hours.

German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) chief Claus Weselsky blamed the national rail operator Deutsche Bahn’s board members for the breakdown of negotiations, and said they were not conducting negotiations in a solution-oriented manner.

“It is the GDL that has already made extensive concessions in this collective bargaining negotiations, and it is the Deutsche Bahn’s board that is not moving an inch, and pushing the GDL members to stage further strikes,” he told a news conference in Berlin.

Weselsky said the strike of drivers on passenger trains will begin on Thursday at 2 a.m. local time (0100GMT) and will last 35 hours.

“Our first strike will be 35 hours long. 35 hours, so that everyone in Germany would understand what we're demanding from Deutsche Bahn,” he said, referring to their demand for the reduction of working hours.

Weselsky also warned that they are ready for a “wave of strikes” if their demands are not met, and this time without issuing a notice of 48 hours before the strike action.

The GDL union and Deutsche Bahn have been negotiating for months to reach an agreement on a new collective agreement.

In the latest round of negotiations, Deutsche Bahn offered up to 13% more wages for the employees, and an option model which could reduce weekly working hours from 38 to 37.

But the union, which represents about 10,000 employees, is demanding a reduction of working hours to 35 for shift workers, with no reduction in pay.