Berlin (AFP)

German train drivers called for a multi-day nationwide strike on Tuesday to influence wage negotiations with their management, as the summer holidays are in full swing and delivery problems are already plaguing the economy.

The GDL drivers' union of Deutsche Bahn, the German public rail operator, announced a "first action" on freight trains on Tuesday, before comprehensive union action "from Wednesday to Friday.

The disruptions are expected to be massive: Deutsche Bahn will only be able to offer 25% of its capacity on long-distance trains from Wednesday, she said in a statement.

To adapt, the company will propose alternative traffic plans, prioritizing trains between "Berlin and the Rhine-Ruhr region (West)", and between "Hamburg and Frankfurt".

"Deutsche Bahn cannot guarantee that all travelers will arrive at their destination as they wish," the group admitted, however.

- "Bernés" -

At the origin of the mobilization: the failure of wage negotiations on the next collective agreement between management and the union, in particular with regard to wage increases.

Deutsche Bahn, 100% owned by the German state, proposed a 1.5% wage hike from January 2022, then 1.7% from March 2023.

A proposal deemed "much too weak" by the union, which requires an increase of 1.4% from 2021 as well as a bonus of 600 euros, then 1.8% in 2022.

Near Munich main station on February 10, 2020 Christof STACHE AFP / Archives

"The railway workers are fed up with the leaders lining the pockets of millions and the little railway workers being fooled," said Claus Weselsky, president of the GDL union.

This announcement, which had been expected for several days, goes badly with the management of the company, which is struggling to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The strike is "an unnecessary escalation at the expense of rail customers," Deutsche Bahn said in a statement Tuesday.

The director of human resources Martin Seiler, for his part, regretted that the social movement arose "when [they are] just starting to be mobile again".

With the summer season, the group was experiencing a resumption of activity after months of restrictions linked to the pandemic.

"We need solidarity, especially now," said Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer, insisting that the health crisis had "strongly affected" the company.

Deutsche Bahn was particularly hard hit by the crisis, reporting a loss of 5.7 billion euros in 2020, unprecedented in its history.

- Logistics -

"We have intentionally chosen this time of the week to limit the impact on weekend and holiday traffic," Claus Weselsky retorted on Tuesday.

Travelers wait on a crowded platform on December 10, 2018 at Munich Central Station, during a strike by German railway workers Christof STACHE AFP / Archives

It is "never the best time" for a strike, he added.

Deutsche Bahn for its part called on the union to "come back to the negotiating table".

The social movement should also affect freight trains, an important activity of Deutsche Bahn, through its subsidiary DB Cargo.

These disruptions will be added to the already existing delivery and logistics problems, which have plagued German industry for several weeks, a pillar of the country's economic model.

The Covid-19 pandemic has indeed disrupted global supply chains, leading to bottlenecks in the electronic components, wood, plastics and steel markets, in particular.

Industrial production has already fallen significantly over the past three months in Germany because of these shortages.

This strike will be the first to affect the German company since December 2018, when the activity was stopped for four hours.

The last major social conflict took place between 2014 and 2015. For about nine months, the GDL union had organized nine strikes of several days each, to demand a reform of the rules of representation.

In May 2015, a six-day strike had thus become the longest in the company's history.

© 2021 AFP