The current GDL rail strike is the longest in history. But union boss Weselsky is threatening Deutsche Bahn to break this record.
Update from January 27th, 11:15 a.m.: Rail traffic in Germany has been at a standstill since Wednesday. The GDL rail strike is the longest in history. And yet GDL boss Claus Weselsky was already threatening the next record strike. But now there could perhaps be some movement in the confusing positions in the collective bargaining dispute between Deutsche Bahn and the train drivers’ union. However, this apparently only affects the current GDL strike.
GDL rail strike: DB and GDL are apparently negotiating an early end – statement planned
The GDL’s core demand in relation to the train drivers’ union’s rail strike is a reduction in weekly working hours. Is there an approach on this point? In any case, both sides seem to be ready to negotiate again. This is reported by the dpa, citing negotiating circles. Accordingly, talks could currently be ongoing in the background between the railway and the GDL regarding a possible early end to the GDL railway strike. These had already taken place on Saturday night. This could be good news for travelers.
As the Picture namely continues to write, the renewed discussions and rapprochements could ensure a shortening of the six-day marathon strike. However, nothing was initially known about the content or possible results. GDL and Bahn apparently want to comment on this in a statement on Saturday afternoon.
GDL railway strike: Weselsky takes action against the railway with a GDR comparison
Update from January 26th, 4:29 p.m.: The chairman of the train drivers’ union, Claus Weselsky, appeared in front of colleagues in Dresden during the GDL rail strike. There, in the middle of the chaos of the rail strike, he dealt out against Deutsche Bahn, which, in his opinion, was apparently lagging behind the former GDR state railway.
He comes from the Deutsche Reichsbahn and then experienced the merger with the Bundesbahn to form Bahn AG. “With us you could set the clock according to the train. She drove,” Weselsky said, “during the GDL rail strike, he didn’t say anything good about the DB Group. He had already compared its board the day before with generals of the GDR army NVA.
GDL rail strike: Weselsky speaks out against “rivets” from the railway board – “drive the railway into the ground”
But that’s not enough. The GDL boss made another point, which once again revealed how deep the rifts in the collective bargaining dispute are and that there is a threat of another GDL rail strike, which could perhaps overshadow the current industrial dispute. “The railway workers in the past were used to dealing with the four seasons. All characteristics that these rivets in pinstripes ruined for us. Those are the ones who are driving this train into the ground!”
According to information from Picture But it might not be as far away as the current GDL rail strike and the hardened fronts in the collective bargaining dispute suggest. After all, it is said to have come to light from the GDL boss’s environment that Weselsky went to planned “background discussions with the train” in the afternoon after the appearance.
GDL rail strike: Weselsky threatens a record rail strike by the train drivers’ union
First report from January 26th, 9:49 a.m.: Berlin – Germany is in the chaos of the GDL rail strike. And there is no end in sight. Because while the train drivers’ union’s current rail strike runs until Monday (January 29th), GDL union boss Claus Weselsky has already mentioned the next industrial action and this could last even longer after the GDL’s current record strike.
GDL rail strike: Weselsky draws positive conclusions
But initially the GDL boss drew a positive interim assessment of the ongoing rail strike, although criticism of the train drivers’ union from all sides continues. A spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn recently accused the GDL boss of saying that “Mr Weselsky likes to keep something secret.”
However, the GDL boss apparently cannot be thrown off course by the criticism. After all, his initial assessment of the current rail strike was very positive. “I experience discipline across the board. The atmosphere is excellent,” said Weselsky Rhenish Post. There is also solidarity with the railway workers among the population: “Many more customers understand the strike than some claim,” explained Weselsky. Even if this view does not prevail everywhere and DB customers increasingly expressed their anger about the GDL rail strike.
According to Weselsky, the GDL’s next rail strike could last “perhaps even longer”.
“We will bring this strike to a successful end and then we will see what happens,” Weselsky continued. However, the GDL boss also had another tip in the direction of Deutsche Bahn, which should not necessarily please rail customers and the state-owned company. If there is no sign of any movement from the railway leadership, “we will strike again – and then perhaps for longer,” he ventured to look ahead to a possible next GDL rail strike. Weselsky had previously made similar comments about the current strike and ultimately carried out his threat.
At the same time, Weselsky rejected allegations that the GDL was causing significant economic damage with its walkout. “That’s nonsense. We are not responsible for the alleged economic damage, but rather the railway management.”
GDL rail strike: Tightening of the right to strike is “blatant” – CDU has “run down” the railway
Weselsky also criticized calls for a tightening of the right to strike in the “Rheinische Post”. It is “blatant” to want to restrict the rights of workers just because they are fighting for better working hours and higher income. “We will not make a single concession on the right to strike. Then we would be stupid.”
“If the Union is thinking about it, that is also significant,” the GDL boss continued. “Because it was the CDU that ran the railway down in the privatization madness.” The Union is responsible for the fact that the railway has become an ailing company “that is not able to get its customers to their destinations on time.” . The employees are not responsible for this. In their industrial dispute, Weselsky and the GDL criticize the high hourly workload and want working hours to be reduced from 38 to 35 working hours. At the same time, an FDP plan proposes replacing train drivers with AI in order to make up for the staff shortage.
GDL rail strike: According to Weselsky, there is no end to the collective bargaining dispute in sight
Weselsky has currently rejected arbitration of the collective bargaining dispute. “So far I don’t see them. “I reject arbitration for just as long as human resources director Seiler refuses to conclude collective agreements with me about other professional groups in the group,” said Weselsky, not a final end, but rather the prospect of further GDL rail strikes in the future, which sends a clear message in tariff poker between railway and GDL. The Bavarian GDL boss is also “infuriated” by the railway’s behavior, so he fears “another strike”.
Shortly before the start of the current strike, the train drivers’ union rejected another offer from Deutsche Bahn. The GDL has been on strike on freight traffic since Tuesday evening and on Deutsche Bahn passenger traffic since Wednesday morning. The strike is not scheduled to end until next Monday evening and would therefore be the longest GDL strike in the history of the railway. (with material from afp)