German train drivers will go on strike from Wednesday

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Freight train locomotives are seen in a maneuvering yard, during a strike by German Train Drivers Union (GDL) railway drivers in Maschen, 30 kilometers from Hamburg, Germany, on August 24, 2021. REUTERS / Fabian Bimmer

BERLIN, Aug 30 (Reuters) – German train drivers’ union GDL said on Monday it would go on strike on September 1 for a week after wage talks with railway operator Deutsche Bahn (DBN.UL) they did not reach a compromise.

The strike, the third and longest in the current wage dispute, will affect freight services from Wednesday afternoon, while passenger traffic will be affected in the early hours of Thursday. The strike will last until September 7.

“This is one of our longest strikes,” said Claus Weselsky, head of the GDL, who ruled out open industrial action.

GDL, which has already held two strikes in August, is demanding a 3.2% increase for drivers, in addition to a € 600 coronavirus bonus.

Deutsche Bahn has said it is ready to meet the demand for a pay rise, but that the two sides could not agree on when the increase should take effect.

“There is a negotiable offer on the table,” Deutsche Bahn’s head of human resources Martin Seiler said in a statement. “No wage agreements can be issued.”

Report by Markus Wacket and Ilona Wissenbach, written by Joseph Nasr, edited by Douglas Busvine and Hugh Lawson

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