Germany: faced with a record strike by train drivers, users are divided
A record strike has just started in Germany.
Train drivers stopped work last night and will resume work on Monday at 6 p.m.
The users met in Berlin are very divided by this unprecedented social movement.
A passenger at Munich station, December 8, 2023, during a previous strike (illustrative image).
AFP - MICHAELA REHLE
By: RFI Follow
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Beyond the salary demands, it is mainly on the union's request, a reduction in the weekly working time from 38 to 35 hours, that the negotiations are failing.
Other, shorter strikes
have marked the last few months and the social conflict between the GDL train drivers' union and Deutsche Bahn.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing called it “
destructive
” as Germany, where GDP contracted by 0.3% last year, is falling behind in international competition.
According to Deutsche Bahn, it will be the longest strike by train drivers in Germany, breaking a previous record from May 2015. The prolonged action “
is also a strike against the German economy
,” the spokeswoman said. of Deutsche Bahn, Anja Bröker, warning of the impact on supply chains.
Users not very excited
At Berlin's central station, three young women met by our correspondent,
Pascal Thibaut
, are queuing at a Deutsche Bahn counter to get information.
“
Originally, we were supposed to return to Karlsruhe tomorrow, but it’s complicated.
We can leave today to make sure we arrive.
Tomorrow, nothing is guaranteed
,” notes one of them.
On a board, some basic information explains to passengers what awaits them, or not, how to advance or postpone a departure or get a refund.
During the last strike, Deutsche Bahn offered a minimum service of 20% on main lines.
The few users we met are not excited about a six-day strike but not on edge either.
This old gentleman has seen others.
He wants to believe that a compromise is possible.
“
Unions and employers should accept a compromise.
Social dialogue has always worked well in Germany.
It must be possible to find an agreement
,” he said.
Deadlocked dialogue
But the dialogue is at an impasse.
The boss of the GDL union, the impetuous Claus Weselsky, estimated this Monday, January 23, that his interlocutor at Deutsche Bahn was “
not doing well
”.
The union boss is polarizing and he is subject to numerous criticisms.
The German press criticizes him for his selfishness and radical positions to strengthen a minority organization instead of first seeking a compromise.
This young man has brought forward his business trip and will return by plane due to the strike.
“
Perhaps the head of the GDL union should sit down at the negotiating table and think about the offer that Deutsche Bahn has presented to him.
It’s too rigid
,” he says.
Regarding freight, Deutsche Bahn wants to strive to guarantee deliveries to power plants and refineries; disruptions in the supply of automobile, chemical or steel plants cannot be ruled out.
With six European rail freight corridors, Germany is a hub for freight traffic and DB Cargo, the freight subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, operates around 20,000 trains per week serving much of the continent.
(
And with
AFP)
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