FAQ
As of: 23.08.2021 05:06
Even with the renewed strike of the train drivers, travelers must expect considerable restrictions. How badly will rail traffic be disrupted this time? And what can rail customers do?
Vacationers and commuters have to expect train cancellations and delays from Monday night due to another strike by the train drivers’ union GDL at Deutsche Bahn. It is the second first strike at Deutsche Bahn this month. Although the GDL is significantly smaller than the EVG, it still represents around 80 percent of DB train drivers.
How serious will the new strike be?
In freight transport, the strike began on Saturday. From Monday 2 a.m., passenger traffic will also be on strike. It should last until Wednesday morning. Experience has shown that the effects are likely to drag on into Friday.
As with the strike two weeks ago, Deutsche Bahn has drawn up replacement timetables for local and long-distance traffic this time as well. It announced that it would run every fourth long-distance train. The railway also tries to maintain the most important connections in international traffic. Regional traffic and the S-Bahn are also affected by the strike. The company advises everyone “who does not have to drive” to take their time for the 23.8 and 24.8. to postpone planned trips.
An emergency timetable can be viewed on the website www.bahn.de or in the DB Navigator app. In addition, the railway has set up a free strike hotline at 08000-996633.
Which connections will be particularly affected?
Deutsche Bahn is trying to find a basic offer and, like the first strike two weeks ago, wants to offer a quarter of the connections. If possible, heavily frequented routes and connections to important train stations and airports are to be served. International long-distance trains are also affected by the strike. However, the majority of the cross-border trains run as scheduled. Only travelers to and from Denmark and Poland have to expect a total failure of their connections.
Is there any hope of an early end to the strike?
GDL boss Claus Weselsky emphasized his willingness to negotiate when he announced the strike on Friday, but he was determined to have further strikes if the railway should not improve its offer. “A standstill in the improvement of services by the management of DB leads directly to the standstill of trains in Germany,” said Weselsky.
Deutsche Bahn is now ready to talk and has offered the union a corona bonus in order to avert the strikes in passenger traffic. Personnel director Martin Seiler spoke of a “strong signal of willingness to come to an agreement”. He explained: “With a corona bonus we are responding to an important concern of the trade unions. There can no longer be any reason to refuse to return to the negotiating table.” They take a step towards the GDL “to avoid further strikes and to quickly find tangible solutions”.
The GDL rejected the offer. “The present offer is just another smoke candle and another attempt to fool the public,” said Weselsky. Passenger traffic will be on strike as planned.
During the labor dispute between the GDL and the railways in 2014 and 2015, the train drivers paralyzed large parts of the route network in eight increasing waves. This time, however, the prerequisites for such a serious conflict are not given because the railway is making losses in the billions due to the restrictions in the pandemic and, most recently, the flood disaster and has only little room for maneuver.
The strike is extremely unpopular in the business world because it is likely to exacerbate the bottlenecks in industry. “Sooner or later, consumers should also feel this, for example when building or buying a car,” emphasizes a spokesman for the Federal Association of Materials Management, Purchasing and Logistics (BME). The shortage of chips or material bottlenecks, such as with wood in construction, are already causing problems for the respective industries. The strike would add another problem for the sectors that rely primarily on rail for their supply chains.
What are the options for travelers?
As a gesture of goodwill, the railway extended the validity of the tickets for the strike period up to and including Saturday, September 4th. A free reimbursement of train tickets is also possible, and Deutsche Bahn has recently started offering a less tedious online process. In addition, the train connection for saver fares was lifted for the strike period.
The railway warns of a “very high utilization” of the long-distance trains that are still in service. Long-distance buses are an alternative, and on some routes to and from Berlin there are also offers from rail competitors.
What is the collective bargaining dispute about?
The GDL is calling for a wage increase of 1.4 percent this year and 1.8 percent at the beginning of 2022 as well as a corona subsidy of 600 euros this year. The railway had recently also offered wage increases in two steps: 1.5 percent on January 1, 2022 and 1.7 percent on March 1, 2023, with a term until the end of June 2024. The railway had to pay a Corona premium in the previous discussions refused.
The larger railway and transport union (EVG) had already signed a collective agreement with the railway last autumn. This year there was a clear round. At the beginning of 2022, the employees in the railway companies, the majority of whom are represented by EVG members, will receive 1.5 percent more money. Terminations for operational reasons are excluded. The GDL criticizes this collective agreement as “completely inadequate”.
In addition to the dispute over wages, a power struggle is raging in the group between the GDL and the EVG, which was recently exacerbated by the application of the Business Unit Act.