(new: more details and background)
FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) – The GDL union’s train drivers’ strike may initially take place as planned until Wednesday morning. Deutsche Bahn initially failed in its attempt to stop the strike using legal means. The Frankfurt Labor Court rejected an interim injunction against the strike call on Monday evening. Judge Stephanie Lenze said the strike was legal and not disproportionate. The railway announced that it would appeal the decision to the Hessian State Labor Court. According to the company, a decision on this will be made on Tuesday. An exact date was not initially set.
The GDL began its freight transport strike on Monday at 6 p.m. For passenger traffic it is scheduled to start at 2 a.m. on Tuesday. There will once again be extensive restrictions on long-distance and regional transport for 24 hours.
On Sunday evening, the GDL called for the next strike in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute with the railways. It is the sixth industrial dispute in the collective bargaining dispute that has been simmering for months. The crux of the matter is the union’s demand for a 35-hour week for shift workers without financial losses.
Short-term strike call annoys Bahn
The GDL announced the strike at much shorter notice than the previous industrial disputes. With such “wave strikes” union boss Claus Weselsky wants to increase the pressure on the railways. The railway had sharply criticized the “far too short lead time of just 22 hours” for the strike. This is a “blatant imposition” for passengers.
During the ongoing conflict, the railway tried once to legally prevent a GDL industrial dispute, but was unsuccessful in two instances.
Strikes at Easter cannot be ruled out
Railway representative Florian Weh emphasized before the labor court that the company could imagine a re-entry agreement in negotiations – based on the most recent compromise proposal by moderators Thomas de Maizière and Daniel Günther – or entering into formal arbitration. The GDL demanded further accommodation and is not prepared to call off the strike.
After negotiations failed again, the railway called on the union to hold further talks at the end of last week. The GDL tied this to the condition that the railway had to submit a new offer. The union’s ultimatum to the company’s management expired just over two hours on Sunday evening when the GDL announced the strike.
The union is fighting for higher salaries and fewer working hours. The crux of the matter is the requirement that shift workers should work 35 instead of 38 hours a week for the same money. In a moderation, the railway accepted a compromise proposal. This envisaged reducing working hours to 36 hours in two steps by 2028. The GDL refused and allowed the talks to fail./as/DP/jha