GERMAN rail operator Deutsche Bahn said today it will take legal action to end strikes as train drivers began five days of walkouts on passenger services in an ongoing pay dispute. 

The strike action is not within “the relevant legal framework”, said Martin Seiler, personnel director for Deutsche Bahn. 

“Therefore, we must act in the interest of our customers and employees, and allow the strike to be legally reviewed.”

The latest walkout is the third strike in a month on German rail, and the longest yet, with the action set to last until the early hours of next Tuesday.

Deutsche Bahn published the terms of a new offer to train drivers yesterday evening as the strike began on cargo services, but it was rejected by the unions.

The rail company had proposed bringing forward a 3.2% increase in drivers’ salaries and agreed to coronavirus-related bonuses of up to €600 (RM2,940) – a demand made by the union.

“No person and no union on this planet could accept this offer,” Claus Weselsky, head of the GDL union, told German public television. 

“The bad news for passengers – the strike continues.”

As in previous strikes, around a quarter of normal long-distance services will run while about four in 10 regional and urban commuter trains will be operating as normal. 

The strike action began on August 10 after union members voted 95% in favour, following the collapse of pay talks with Deutsche Bahn.

The last major conflict between unions and Deutsche Bahn took place in 2014-2015, when over nine months GDL organised nine rounds of strikes to demand regulatory reforms. – AFP, September 2, 2021.