[Anonymous]

[AMcWhirter]

It’s just been announced that the next strike by Deutsche Bahn train drivers will start on Wednesday May 20 at 02.00hrs.

However, freight train drivers will strike from tomorrow at 15.00hrs.

The last strike ended only just over one week ago.

Unlike the previous strike, this coming strike will be “open ended.”

In other words, it is indefinite and the union says it will only give 48 hours notice of when it will end.

http://www.thelocal.de/20150518/fresh-train-strikes-looms-as-talks-break-down

[LuganoPirate]

Such a shame. If they were on the breadline I could understand, but they’re not. They’re well paid, long holidays, well compensated for unsocial hours and virtually zero inflation in Germany. No sympathy for them at all!

[AMcWhirter]

Well the ninth Deutsche Bahn strike so far this year began today.

According to the BBC two out of three long-distance trains have been cancelled.

DB has offered the drivers a one-off payment of Euros 1,000 plus a pay rise of 4.7 per cent which the GDL union has refused to accept.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32810896

The strike has provided windfall business for the German domestic airlines. More importantly it’s also prompted many passengers to try out Germany’s recently de-regulated long distance buses which, as you will have read in our previous on-line reports, cost far less than many rail journeys.

[LuganoPirate]

Trouble is the bus simply can’t do Frankfurt to Hamburg in three hours, more like 6 or 7 making a day trip almost impossible.

If seems Germany is being wracked by strikes these days with more stoppages than even France.

[MrMichael]

Both in Germany & France managers are too timid to take on the unions head on. That is one of the reasons LH & AF are in such trouble. What they both need is a good dose of Thatcherism, although I see we (UK) have a national rail strike looming too.

[AMcWhirter]

Some good news this morning.

GDL the train drivers’ union is suspending the strike later today at 1900hrs (local time) pending arbitration with DB.

This has been the ninth rail strike in the past10 or 11 months.

The suspension will last during the arbitration period from May 27 to June 17.

Train services are not expected to return to any form of normality until tomorrow.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/05/21/uk-germany-train-mediation-idUKKBN0O60G920150521

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