Tariffs - Train drivers' union boss Weselsky: Will crack the railroads
In the train drivers' wage dispute with Deutsche Bahn, the head of the GDL train drivers' union, Claus Weselsky, has shown himself to be combative. While the GDL's warning strike severely disrupted large parts of rail traffic in Germany, Weselsky was confident that he would be able to push through the union's demands against the Deutsche Bahn board. "We will crack them," said the GDL boss in front of demonstrators in Potsdam.
Weselsky was speaking at a rally on the fringes of the collective bargaining negotiations for the public service of the federal states. With this action, the dbb civil servants' association, of which the GDL is a member, wanted to demonstrate solidarity with the railroad employees. It accuses politicians of having made "a huge mistake" in the privatization of the post office, Telekom and the railroads. "Today we are systemically relevant and should not strike," said the trade unionist. "And that's exactly the favor we can't do." Thousands of trains are likely to be affected by the rail strike, which is scheduled to last until late evening at 10 pm.
The effects are also likely to be felt in the hours afterwards. "We are doing everything we can to ensure that everything is running again by the start of operations on Saturday," said a railroad spokesperson. Until then, passengers can expect further disruptions to rail services.
Weselsky about the railroad: "Ugh!"
Weselsky said that the trade unionists had wanted all train drivers, train attendants and dispatchers, who were once civil servants, to return to this status. "Then the railroads would run unaffected by strikes. But that's not what the privatization proponents had in mind," says the trade unionist. "They wanted to generate profits. They wanted to relieve the taxpayer. They wanted to take Deutsche Bahn AG public." However, these "remarkably intelligent ideas" did not work out. The rail group is in debt, the rail system is ailing. And there are managers "in this public limited company who are helping themselves to millions in salaries and offering employees to tighten their belts", said Weselsky. "I say at this point: Yikes!"
Reduction in working hours not "from one day to the next"
The GDL is determined to actually focus on reducing weekly working hours for shift workers for the first time. A sticking point in the negotiations is the demand for a reduction in weekly working hours for shift workers from 38 to 35 hours with full pay compensation. The employers have so far rejected this. Weselsky conceded: "This will never be reduced by three hours overnight." But the GDL will make it clear to the railroad company "how the journey has to go here". The head of the GDL had already held out the prospect of new industrial action at Deutsche Bahn in January.
The union is also demanding, among other things, an increase of 555 euros per month as well as a tax and duty-free inflation compensation bonus. Among other things, Deutsche Bahn has already held out the prospect of an eleven percent increase over a period of 32 months.
Survey: little understanding for warning strike
According to a survey, the majority of people in Germany have no sympathy for the warning strike. 59 percent of a total of around 3,700 respondents answered accordingly in a representative survey conducted by the opinion research institute Yougov. In contrast, 30 percent expressed understanding for the industrial action.
Younger people were more forgiving than older people. The proportion of understanding respondents among 25 to 34-year-olds in the survey was around 38%. Among respondents aged 55 and over, it was only one in four.
Passengers can breathe a sigh of relief after the warning strike. GDL boss Weselsky has ruled out further industrial action up to and including January 7. After that, however, industrial action is set to become longer and more intense. The GDL is currently holding a ballot among its members on indefinite strikes. The result is expected on December 19.
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- The GDL's striking action, led by Tariffs advocate Claus Weselsky, severely disrupted Berlin's rail traffic as part of the wage dispute with Deutsche Bahn.
- During the civil service association's rally, Weselsky criticized the privatization of the post office, Telekom, and railroads, stating that it was a "huge mistake."
- The traffic disruptions caused by the strikes are likely to continue into the early hours of Saturday, according to a spokesperson from the German railroad.
- Weselsky, speaking at the rally, expressed his desire for train drivers, train attendants, and dispatchers to return to their status as civil servants, which would result in unaffected rail services by strikes.
- Strikes are impacting the operating schedule of Deutsche Telekom as well, due to the GDL's solidarity with the railroad employees in their wage dispute.
- Weselsky argued that the privatization proponents had intended to generate profits and relieve the taxpayer, but their "remarkably intelligent ideas" failed due to the rail group's debt and ailing system.
- Weselsky mentioned that reducing weekly working hours for shift workers is a priority for the GDL, and he warned that the future negotiations would be tense.
- The GDL is currently conducting a ballot among its members to decide on indefinite strikes, with the results expected on December 19.
Source: www.stern.de
