Germany faces new strikes
October 7, 2014
German rail service may be disrupted overnight into Wednesday, as train drivers are expected to strike over a long-running pay dispute.
Germany's GDL, a trade union representing train drivers at the country's main rail operator Deutsche Bahn, called on members to join a nine-hour strike running from 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) on Tuesday until 6 a.m. on Wednesday. The walkout will mainly affect almost 5,000 morning commuter and night freight trains.
GDL is looking for a 5 percent pay rise and a two-hour shorter working week of 37 hours from its employer Deutsche Bahn.
The union is also claiming the right to negotiate pay for other railway staff, such as conductors who are traditionally represented by a rival union.
Deutsche Bahn rejected the union's demands, offering only a 1.9 percent pay rise, and has criticized the decision to widen the strikes. The state-owned rail operator said it may take until Wednesday midday before trains return to normal.
Lufthansa Cargo
The train drivers' strike will overlap with the two-day strike by pilots at Lufthansa Cargo.
Separately, pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) announced a two-day walkout starting at 3 a.m. on Wednesday. The strike period will affect around 21 freighter flights, with no passenger flights being hit.
This will be the sixth strike this year by VC, which is demanding Lufthansa maintain generous transition payments for those wanting early retirement at 55. Lufthansa, Europe's largest airline in terms of both overall passengers carried and fleet size, estimates the strikes have cost it around 70 million euros ($88 million) thus far.
Lufthansa executives said the perks formerly granted to pilots could no longer be upheld, with costs involved spiraling out of control and not being in line with the German flagship carrier's recent drive to streamline operations and become more profitable.
More strikes could come, as an end to the dispute was not in sight, the VC said.
el/uhe (dpa, Reuters, AFP)