The GDL strike has been over since morning. Train traffic is starting again, and most trains will be running again when operations begin. However, the railway is expecting full trains.
The strike by the train drivers’ union GDL has ended. Since 2 a.m., long-distance and regional rail traffic in Germany has been gradually starting up again, as the railway announced. The full timetable should largely be restored by the time operations begin. The strike in freight transport began earlier and ended on Tuesday evening. Passengers have to prepare for full trains on Wednesday because it is expected that many will make up their journey that day.
Bahn loses in court
It was the sixth strike in the ongoing tariff dispute with the railway, which once again led to significant restrictions for the group’s passengers and industrial customers. The railway had tried until the very end to legally prevent the strike. But the Hessian State Labor Court yesterday rejected the railway’s appeal in the second instance. The railway had previously been defeated in the first instance.
The GDL’s “wave strike” instrument as a “pin-prick tactic” is permissible, said presiding judge Michael Horcher. This also applies to a public service operation such as the railway. The court cannot make a fundamental decision at this point about an appropriate lead time for strike announcements.
Judge stirs Change in law at
Judge Horch sees the legislature as having a duty here. This could “enact a law that limits strikes in public services companies, for example by introducing a notice period of four days.”
The GDL had announced previous strikes in the current tariff dispute at least 48 hours in advance so that the railway and passengers could prepare for them. However, with the tactic of “wave strikes”, GDL boss Claus Weselsky is betting that exactly that is no longer possible. The aim is that “the railway is no longer a reliable means of transport,” he said a few days ago.