End of the GDL strike: rail traffic starts normally

After the end of the third round of strike by the train drivers' union GDL, Deutsche Bahn was satisfied with the start of normal operations.

The regional and long-distance trains will run as scheduled again in the course of Tuesday, as a rail spokeswoman said on Tuesday morning.

In individual cases there could still be irregularities.

The train returned to the regular schedule early Tuesday morning.

The GDL strike has ended for the time being.

Both sides want to draw a conclusion in the course of the day.

One thing is already clear: The third and so far longest strike round in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute has led to far-reaching restrictions in freight and passenger traffic.

Second longest strike in railway history

However, the union has already shown that it can go even longer: 127 hours in passenger traffic and 138 hours in goods traffic lasted the longest labor dispute of the GDL to date in a collective bargaining dispute.

That was in May 2015. It was only two months later that a collective agreement was concluded in an arbitration process.

The strike, which has now ended, lasted 110 hours in passenger and 118 hours in freight.

This makes it the second longest in the history of Deutsche Bahn.

A rapprochement is not in sight.

"After the strike is before the strike," said GDL boss Claus Weselsky on Monday.

It is up to the management of the railway whether there is another labor dispute.

Apart from classic tariff issues, there is also a dispute about the unified tariff law and the GDL's sphere of influence in the group.

The law came into force in 2015.

It stipulates that in a company with several unions, only the collective agreement of the employee representatives with a larger number of members will be applied.

In most of the approximately 300 rail operations, from the Group's point of view, this is the rail and transport union competing with the GDL.

GDL wants to expand influence

Weselsky is therefore forced to expand his sphere of influence to other trades and to become a majority union.

In addition to the train staff, he also wants to negotiate for workshop employees as well as for employees in the infrastructure and administration - areas that have traditionally been represented by the EVG so far.

Shortly before the end of the strike, Weselsky reiterated his demand for an offer that would enable the union to conclude a collective agreement for all members of the various rail companies.

In addition to these questions, the wage dispute is also about money. The GDL is demanding 3.2 percent more wages for a term of 28 months and a corona premium of 600 euros. The railway had recently offered a term of 36 months and agreed to the corona premium. There is also a dispute about retirement provision.