The GDL’s 35-hour strike ends at midday – but restrictions on rail traffic can be expected throughout the day. Lufthansa passengers also have to reschedule. And the prospects for more “peaceful” times are bleak.
Things won’t be smooth for travelers today either: The restrictions on Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance, regional and freight transport due to the strike by the train drivers’ union GDL will continue until midday. The strike is officially only supposed to last until 1 p.m. But the railway will stick to the limited basic long-distance service all day long. Only one in five trains is currently traveling there. In regional and S-Bahn transport, however, the service is to be gradually increased again over the course of Friday, it was said.
The fifth industrial dispute in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute
It is the fifth strike in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute; it is expected to last 35 hours each in passenger and freight transport. An agreement between Deutsche Bahn and GDL is not in sight. And times remain uncertain: GDL boss Claus Weselsky wants to announce future labor disputes with significantly less notice. These so-called wave strikes are not informed 48 hours in advance, as was previously the case. But both the beginning and the end would be named, Weselsky said on Thursday.
Deutsche Bahn is already warning that it will no longer be able to offer basic services in the event of such strikes. This puts the German railway system at massive risk.
Strikes over Easter cannot be ruled out
Even over Easter, passengers cannot be sure whether they will be able to travel to their families by train. In any case, Weselsky has so far not agreed to an “Easter Peace” in the stuck rail tariff conflict. “Easter is still a few days away, actually weeks away, and that’s why I can’t answer that,” he said RBB-Information radio.
“There has to be a solution now”
Politicians are reacting increasingly angrily to the renewed strikes. “My personal understanding has now really come to an end,” said Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) on Thursday on the sidelines of his visit to the USA. “There has to be a solution now,” said Habeck and added: “And the solution now means that everyone is obliged not to put their interests too much at the expense of the population and the economic recovery.” In addition to Habeck, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) and representatives of the Union parties, among others, sharply criticized the train drivers’ work stoppages.
But there is currently no solution in sight to the deadlocked tariff dispute. The crux of the negotiations is the GDL’s demand for a reduction in weekly working hours from 38 to 35 hours for shift workers with the same wages. Weselsky rejected a suggestion from external mediators who had suggested a reduction to 36 hours with full wage compensation. The last round of talks was declared a failure.
Lufthansa ground staff on strike
Air travelers today also have to prepare for further disruptions and cancellations. The service union ver.di had called on Lufthansa ground staff to go on strike. According to the airline, “only around 10 to 20 percent of the Lufthansa Airline flight program” can therefore take place. 200,000 passengers are likely to be affected. The ground staff’s warning strike is scheduled to last until 7:10 a.m. Saturday morning.
In addition, security staff at Frankfurt, Hamburg and Düsseldorf airports also went on a day-long warning strike early on Thursday morning, which caused disruption, particularly in Düsseldorf, where the strike had not been announced.
ver.di and the GDL did not coordinate their actions. Both unions are now relying on companies to plan as little as possible due to the strikes and warning strikes. The uncertainty for passengers and passengers continues to increase.
Next round of negotiations at Lufthansa in mid-March
Similar to the GDL, there is currently no agreement in sight in the collective bargaining dispute at Lufthansa. “Our wages should also take off,” said a poster put up by the strikers at Frankfurt Airport. Among other things, Ver.di is demanding 12.5 percent more salary, but at least 500 euros per month for a term of twelve months. The next negotiations with Lufthansa, which yesterday presented the third-best result in its company history, are scheduled for March 13th and 14th.
Flight attendants could also go on strike
Passengers must also expect strikes from another professional group in the near future. A few weeks before the start of the Easter holidays, the flight attendants of Lufthansa and its regional subsidiary Lufthansa Cityline voted for strikes in a strike vote by the UFO union on Wednesday. There have been no recent signs of a rapprochement between the two sides, so a strike next week is more likely.