The fiercest adversary of the railroad is stepping down.
Bad-tempered, mediocre, imbecile – Claus Weselsky's list of insults towards Deutsche Bahn's board is extensive. With his retirement, there might be a plethora of joy among them that the long-serving leader of the Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokomotivführer (GDL) is stepping down. The union is expected to elect a new chairperson today in Dresden, with Weselsky not running for re-election.
For Weselsky, abusive language was a popular tool for accompanying wage negotiations and gaining bargaining power. This was particularly essential as the GDL, under his guidance, quickly escalated in wage negotiations – paralyzing Germany with strikes, frustrating passengers, and impacting the economy.
Weselsky was quick to defend that his GDL was never responsible for strikes, but rather the board of Deutsche Bahn, which he then accused of being incompetent and overpaid. In his view, strikes were always a defensive action forced upon the GDL. Weselsky's strategy: maximum confrontation, maximum demands, to attain the maximum result. And it was unquestionably successful. His last major project this year was to push through the gradual implementation of the 35-hour week for his locomotive drivers. This preceded the longest rail strike in recent history.
Weselsky emphasized that a trade union has the right to wage labor disputes and that strikes are a valid method in collective bargaining. That the GDL, as a relatively small trade union, can effectively control a whole country, is satisfactory for Weselsky. He has the perfect instrument to put pressure on the board of Deutsche Bahn – and the GDL has become one of the most prominent and powerful trade unions in the country.
His aggressive negotiating style has also attracted calls for resignation – even within trade union circles, he is contentious. Usually, only the leader speaks in front of the cameras. His deputies, including his successor Mario Reiß, can only stand beside him and look stern. Critics have often accused him of making decisions alone. "He stands there as if he's summoning for a religious war – just to pump up his ego," his predecessor Manfred Schell once said – also a tough negotiator. He compared Weselsky's management style in the GDL to that of dictators Mao Zedong and Bashar al-Assad.
But his successes as a negotiator make Weselsky untouchable. He became known in 2007 when Schell left for treatment at Lake Constance in the middle of the heated phase of the labor dispute. At that time, Weselsky demonstrated his unyielding stance on behalf of the locomotive drivers, without compromise. The outcome he fought for after months of dispute at the beginning of 2008 can be seen as a victory from the GDL's perspective: a 11% pay raise. A few months later, the members of the locomotive drivers' union elected Weselsky as Schell's successor – with 90% of the vote.
The 65-year-old Weselsky is a trade unionist to the core. He was there at the birth of the GDL in East Germany and became chairman of the Pirna local group in 1990. Two years later, the qualified locomotive driver began working for the GDL in an administrative capacity and was fully released for his trade union activities in 2002. In May 2006, Weselsky became vice-chairman of the GDL. Weselsky was a locomotive driver for many years before that, and a left-wing pop icon of the working class, but as a member of the CDU, he is not quite the perfect fit.
However, a whiff of class struggle can be perceived in his attacks on the railway's management – he denounced "blabbermouths" in the railway tower who sit "on their high horse" and fill their pockets – at the expense of the hardworking workforce.
Exploitation of Health
The railway board made it simple for the GDL head. Weselsky's claim that the company had been operating "at the brink of chaos" for years is indeed accurate. The infrastructure is dilapidated, delays are intolerable. Despite this, the board received bonuses in the millions. That a trade union wants to assert maximum demands with a sledgehammer in this corporate culture is understandable.
This is taking place against the backdrop of another conflict that the GDL is engaged in. It is battling to widen its influence at the railway. The vast majority of railway employees are organized in the trade union EVG. In the struggle for members, the GDL seeks to surpass its competitor.
Weselsky rejected the call of money – in 2007, he turned down the offer to switch to the personnel board of the railway. His conclusion after 16 years at the helm of the GDL? "What I've done over the years has been the plundering of my health," he told Spiegel. "I'm looking forward to having more time to take care of myself – mentally and physically. Otherwise, life doesn't start at 66, it just clicks, and suddenly, you can't enjoy anything you've created."
After 16 years as the chairperson of the Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokomotivführer (GDL), Claus Weselsky announced his retirement and promised to take better care of his health, stating that he had "plundered" it during his time in office. Despite the criticism he faced throughout his career for his aggressive negotiation style and decisions made alone, Weselsky remained untouchable due to his numerous successful negotiating efforts, including the implementation of the 35-hour week for locomotive drivers and securing a 11% pay raise for the GDL members.
