The longest strike to date in the deadlocked collective bargaining conflict between Deutsche Bahn and the train drivers' union GDL ended at 2 a.m. as planned.
This was confirmed by Deutsche Bahn (DB) on Tuesday night on its official website.
The DB had already started to make preparations for the start of operations on Monday in order to ensure the smoothest possible start-up for long-distance travelers and commuters on Tuesday.
Medium-sized businesses called on the federal government to intervene in the wage dispute at Deutsche Bahn.
“Deutsche Bahn is a state-owned company.
Therefore, the federal government must now speak a word of power, ”said the federal manager of the Federal Association of Medium-Sized Enterprises (BVMW), Markus Jerger, the newspapers of the Funke media group.
100 million euros in damage per day of strike
The economic damage caused by the strike is enormous.
"The interruption of the supply chain in freight traffic alone causes damage of 100 million euros - per day of strike," said Jerger.
"If, in addition, lost sales and profits as well as contractual penalties are accounted for, costs in the billions quickly come together."
The railway had recently promised the union a corona bonus of up to 600 euros for 2021 and a shortening of the term of a collective agreement from 40 to 36 months. The wages should rise in two stages by 3.2 percent.