Germany faces long rail strikes
It is the next escalation in the wage dispute at Deutsche Bahn: the members of the train drivers' union vote in favor of the possibility of an indefinite strike. This threatens to cause disruption to rail services for several days.
The train drivers' union GDL may now also call for indefinite strikes in the wage dispute with Deutsche Bahn. In a ballot, around 97 percent of voting members were in favor of this, as announced by the GDL in Frankfurt am Main.
GDL boss Claus Weselsky has ruled out further industrial action in the wage dispute with Deutsche Bahn and its competitor Transdev up to and including January 7. This means that people can travel to their families over Christmas and return home without worry. But in the new year, things could pick up quickly. "From January 8, we should expect longer labor disputes," Weselsky told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper a few days ago. "We will break the railroad's blockade."
Strikes lasting several days were not uncommon in previous collective bargaining rounds. In 2021, the GDL went on strike for five days, and once for six days in 2015. It is therefore quite possible that it will continue on this scale in January. So far, the GDL has called for warning strikes of a maximum of 24 hours in passenger transport in the current wage dispute.
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The GDL members in Germany have voted in favor of potentially prolonged strikes, which could disrupt rail services extensively. Given the union's history of strikes lasting several days, these strikes may continue on a similar scale in January.
Source: www.ntv.de
