As of: November 15, 2023 10:56 p.m
Train travelers have to be prepared for many train cancellations and delays until Thursday evening. The train drivers’ union GDL has called for the first nationwide warning strike in this year’s collective bargaining round.
According to the union, the strike officially began at 10 p.m. on Wednesday evening and is scheduled to last until 6 p.m. on Thursday. Hours before the work stoppages began, there had been significant disruptions to rail traffic. The situation in northern Germany was made even more difficult by the fact that in the afternoon an ICE rammed a regional train on the important route between Hamburg and Bremen. No one was injured, but the route had to be closed. Late in the evening, the railway assumed that work at the accident site would last until the early morning.
Bahn cancels collective bargaining negotiations
Union leader Claus Weselsky declared a warning strike on Wednesday afternoon: “The employees’ dissatisfaction is great, their concerns are legitimate.” Anyone who thinks they can “cynically play for time” at the expense of their employees is mistaken. Deutsche Bahn (DB) responded to the strike announcement by canceling the second round of collective bargaining planned for Thursday and Friday. “Either you go on strike or you negotiate. You can’t do both at the same time,” said Human Resources Director Martin Seiler on Wednesday.
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Deutsche Bahn: Offer of trips will be significantly reduced
The railway had called on its customers to postpone train journeys, saying “massive disruption” was expected. There is an emergency timetable for long-distance transport. The number of trips on offer will be significantly reduced. “For these journeys, the DB uses longer trains with more seats in order to be able to bring as many people as possible to their destination,” said a spokesman. However, a ride cannot be guaranteed. “Experience has shown that there will also be massive restrictions in regional transport,” said railway spokesman Achim Stauß. “We also expect that trains will no longer be able to run in individual regions.”
The train switched it Telephone number (08000) 99 66 33 free where their customers could find out about the effects of the strike. There is also information about goodwill regulations and exchange options for tickets that have already been purchased on a website the train. It says that all passengers who want to postpone their trip planned for the time of the strike can use their ticket at a later date.
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Lower Saxony: “Maintain minimum timetable offer”
The DB Regio Lower Saxony and Bremen says it is trying to maintain a minimum timetable during the warning strike. “Nevertheless, in this situation we cannot guarantee that all travelers will reach their destination,” the company said. In Lower Saxony, the warning strike affects not only DB trains but also connections from Transdev, which includes both the Hanover S-Bahn and the Nordwestbahn. The Hanover S-Bahn assumes that a large part of the train services will be canceled.
The railway companies metronom and erixx are not on strike. Nevertheless, the companies announced that there could be disruptions, for example in signal boxes. “Due to the strike, an increased number of passengers on our trains can generally be expected,” says a statement from metronom. “Travellers should therefore expect delays and other restrictions in the form of busy trains.”
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Schleswig-Holstein: Emergency timetable on the main routes
The railway also published emergency timetables for DB Regio’s regional services in Schleswig-Holstein. Accordingly, trains should continue to run on the Sylt-Hamburg route, for example, but fewer than normal. The connection between Lübeck and Hamburg should be served hourly. Trains should run every two hours between Flensburg or Kiel and Hamburg.
The operator erixx, however, expects normal operations on its route between Kiel and Lübeck. However, trains could be delayed or canceled if the signal boxes are also on strike, a spokesman said. The car train to Sylt run by the private operator RDC Deutschland was also not affected by the warning strike, a company spokeswoman said. The blue car train is running according to plan.
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Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: “Massive restrictions” to be expected
Commuters also have to prepare for many train cancellations in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The warning strike will lead to massive restrictions, said a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn. From 10 p.m. there should be almost no more journeys on DB regional transport. Some trips may possibly be offered starting Thursday morning. However, these are at best an emergency offer.
According to Deutsche Bahn, the lines RB11 (Wismar-Rostock-Ticino) and RB12 (Rostock-Rövershagen-Graal-Müritz) as well as the rail replacement service with buses between Warnemünde and Rostock are not affected by the warning strike in MV. The track systems on the route will, among other things, be modernized until the beginning of December.
GDL boss Weselsky comes to Schwerin
Train drivers’ union leader Claus Weselsky is expected to attend a rally organized by the German Civil Service Association dbb in Schwerin on Thursday. The organizers announced that he would speak at the closing event for the Civil Service Association’s “It’s 5 after 12” campaign week. Beforehand, a demonstration march by train drivers and public service employees is planned from the main train station to the State Chancellery.
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Hamburg: S-Bahn should run according to the emergency timetable
In Hamburg, the railway is expecting “massive restrictions” in S-Bahn traffic as a result of the strike. Well before the start of the nationwide train driver warning strike, the first restrictions came on Wednesday evening. According to S-Bahn-Hamburg.de, individual connections on the S1 line from Poppenbüttel to Wedel were canceled shortly after 8 p.m. Trains were also canceled on the S21 line from Aumühle to Elbgaustraße, as well as on the S31 from Neugraben.
On Thursday, the S-Bahn will try to run according to an emergency timetable, the railway said. Trains should then run on the lines S1 Wedel – Airport/Ohlsdorf – Poppenbüttel, S3 Pinneberg-Neugraben and S21 between Aumühle and Altona, but not at the usual frequency. “Due to the still unclear situation, travel times will only be available at short notice,” it said. And even after the warning strike ends on Thursday evening, there will still be train cancellations.
Passenger association: Strike understandable, notice period too short
The honorary chairman of the Pro Bahn passenger association, Karl-Peter Naumann, criticized the short notice period for the strike on NDR Info on Wednesday morning: “The GDL is allowed to strike, you have to say that again and again. But you really can’t say that we are happy about it say.” He called for a notice period of at least 48 hours to be observed for the benefit of passengers. Nevertheless, from the union’s point of view, the timing of the strike is tactically understandable.
He also considers GDL’s demands, such as a reduction in working hours, to be understandable: “This is a very important point for people who work 24/7.” The demand for a 35-hour week is “certainly understandable,” said Naumann. “We need such attractive conditions in the railway sector, because there are a lot of train drivers missing, a lot of signalmen missing – and the people all have to work a lot.” In order for the profession to become more attractive, “generous leisure regulations” are needed.
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Railway HR Director: Either strike or negotiate
Deutsche Bahn had already sharply criticized the GDL’s fundamental decision to go on strike on Tuesday afternoon. “The strike decision at this point in time is absurd,” said Bahn human resources director Seiler. Four further negotiation dates have just been agreed with the GDL and, as an employer, an 11 percent offer and an inflation bonus of up to 2,850 euros for a term of 32 months have been put on the table in the opening round. The GDL is holding millions of people liable and trampling on social partnership. “Either you strike or you negotiate. Both are not possible at the same time,” said Seiler on Wednesday, explaining the cancellation of the talks planned for Thursday and Friday.
Labor disputes had already become apparent
There had already been signals before and after the first round of negotiations last week that there could be a labor dispute. The previous collective agreement with the union expired at the end of October, so warning strikes are possible at any time. GDL boss Weselsky had indicated that he considered a collective bargaining round without strikes to be unlikely.
Union demands shorter working hours and more money
According to Bahn, the GDL is negotiating for almost 10,000 employees of the state-owned company. The union is demanding, among other things, 555 euros more per month. In addition, the working hours for shift workers should be reduced to 35 of 38 hours per week without a reduction in wages. In addition, a one-off tax-free inflation bonus of 3,000 euros is required. The contract term should not exceed twelve months. The railway rejects the demands as too high. According to their information, they would mean a total volume of 50 percent more.
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