German train drivers warn of nationwide strike starting Wednesday

(CN) — Millions of German train commuters will be affected by a six-day strike starting Wednesday as the German Locomotive Drivers' Union calls on its members to “take industrial action.”

“With the third and supposedly improved offer, Deutsche Bahn has once again shown that it is undeterred in pursuing its previous course of refusal and confrontation - there is no trace of any desire to reach agreement,” the union stated in a press release on Monday.

Union members working at DB Cargo are expected to leave work Tuesday evening, and the remaining workers across Deutsche Bahn companies will abandon commuter trains starting Wednesday morning. The nationwide strike ends on Monday evening next week, the union said.

The coming strike is the fourth within months, stemming from an ongoing dispute between the union and the state-owned railway company. The six-day obstruction to German public infrastructure would be the longest yet.

The union demands an extra 550 euros (close to $600) in monthly wages for its members and a compensatory payment for a fixed period of 12 months to counteract inflation in Germany. It also calls to slim a 38-hour work week to 35 hours immediately, according to Deutsche Welle.

Last Friday the railway company offered a 4.8% pay increase for employees starting in August, with a further 5% beginning in April 2025 and a payment accounting for inflation under a fixed period of 32 months.

It was an offer the German Locomotive Drivers' Union declined, leading Deutsche Bahn's head of personnel Martin Seiler to criticize the union, claiming it used strikes for self-promotion rather than as a last resort.

Since the strike announcement, the hashtag “Bahnstreik,” or railway strike, has trended on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, as Germans react to train cancellations.

“The #Bahnstreik is valid and has meaning. However, as defenders of democracy, we should not use this moment to use polluting vehicles,” one X user said.

Other Germans were disappointed with the ongoing development and urge the union to think about commuters.

“Unfortunately, you can no longer rely on the train actually running! I used to like taking the train, but now I prefer to take the car so I can be sure that I can get from A to B,” another user wrote.

“How often and for how long do uninvolved citizens actually have to be affected by the GDL? The strikers appeal to our empathy and tolerance, seeming to forget that this should be a two-way street. There's trouble brewing,” a third user stated.

Deutsche Bahn assured passengers on Monday that it would keep some trains running for commuters on an emergency timetable. While most journeys in Germany will be reduced, the railway plans to use larger, long-distance trains to carry as many people as possible throughout the strike.

The train strike is just one out of several disruptions hitting Germany lately. In early January German farmers protested against cuts to agriculture subsidies proposed by the government.

And in April last year, the transport union EVG urged its 230,000 workers mainly from the railway industry to strike train travel nationwide due to another dispute with Deutsche Bahn also considering wages to compensate for high inflation in Germany.

Follow @LasseSrensen13

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