Rail strike: incomprehension and criticism of the GDL

It’s been a tough two tough days for rail customers: The train drivers’ strike is preventing many trains from running. The railway finds the labor dispute “completely overdone”. GDL boss Weselsky defends himself against the criticism.

The train drivers’ strike continues to cause massive problems for the railways. In long-distance traffic, three quarters of journeys were canceled, and passengers also have to accept considerable restrictions in regional traffic and on the S-Bahn.

For Deutsche Bahn, the strike is “completely excessive and completely inappropriate,” as company spokesman Achim Stauß said tagesschau24 said. Nevertheless, the railway is doing everything that is possible. He called on the GDL to be considerate of the company’s performance. In the direction of the train drivers’ union GDL, Stauß said: “We have to continue negotiating.” They are not far from each other.

In the wage dispute escalated by the current strikes, Stauß accused the GDL of pursuing self-interest vis-à-vis other rail unions. Unlike the larger railway and transport union (EVG), the GDL does not want to accept a zero round in salaries this year. The GDL chairman Claus Weselsky apparently also wants to score points with the employees in the power struggle with the EVG.

Dispute over runtime

The GDL is calling for wage increases of around 3.2 percent as in the public service and a corona bonus of 600 euros in the current year. “We expect appreciation and recognition of the work,” said Weselsky. The term of the collective agreement should be 28 months. There is also a struggle for company pensions.

Due to billions in losses in the pandemic, the railway wants to distribute the increase to later stages, with a contract term of 40 months. In addition, there are pension benefits and the exclusion of redundancies for operational reasons.

New offer required

Weselsky demands a new offer from the railway. The offer with a term of 40 months means a devaluation of the tariff over the length of the term of less than one percent per year. “That is not negotiable for us,” said Weselsky. Whether there will be further strikes is to be decided at a later date. “That decides the railway management,” said Weselsky. If the offer of the railway should improve, the GDL would return to the negotiating table.

Weselsky protested against criticism from the Pro Bahn passenger association that the strikes had been announced too quickly. “There is no time when a strike is good for customers.” The GDL had the weekend in view and therefore decided to strike during the week. In addition, the GDL deliberately avoided strikes in winter and spring due to the corona situation.

EVG: Much incomprehension for the strike

There is also criticism of the GDL from the EVG. “According to our calculations, around 5,000 railway workers voted for the strike,” said the head of the railway and transport union, Klaus Hommel. He said that the company conveyed a great deal of incomprehension to the train drivers’ strike. The labor dispute is not about a normal collective bargaining round, but about the GDL’s struggle for existence. Their boss Weselsky had set the goal of pushing the EVG out of the company, said Hommel.

Problems for the supply chains and full trains

According to Deutsche Bahn, the strike also endangers the supply chains of German and European industry. At the moment, around 190 freight trains are stuck in traffic, the company reported. With great effort and close cooperation with other rail companies, the freight transport subsidiary DB Cargo drives the supply-relevant trains to power plants or large industrial companies, for example.

In Corona times, the lack of space in the few remaining trains is a cause for concern. “The trains are of course fuller than they are otherwise. That doesn’t exactly make things easier, because we try to offer as much distance as possible in pandemic times,” said a railway spokesman.

For customers, things are likely to remain tight and uncomfortable until the end of the strike on Friday night: Deutsche Bahn expects many train cancellations on Thursday as well. According to the replacement timetable, three quarters of the long-distance trains will again not run, while the regional networks are expected to experience various disruptions. According to its own statements, the railway is doing everything in its power to resume regular operations on Friday.