German Rail Travelers May Suffer More If Strikes Continue

The German train drivers' union warned again on Thursday of the threat of further industrial action as the nation's rail travelers were hit by another round of delays and cancellation of services across the country caused by a two-day strike.

Photo Insert: Passengers waiting for their train in Berlin

The strike action the union's demands for a pay rise, including a coronavirus premium, is due to come to an end at 2 am on Friday, Andrew McCathie reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

But the vice-chairman of the German Train Drivers' Union (GDL), Norbert Quitter, said the GDL would assess next week how the publicly owned German rail company Deutsche Bahn's board reacted to the first day of the strike, the GDL's first in six years.

A survey published on Thursday by pollsters YouGov found that 31 percent of the German population were sympathetic to the train drivers' strike action, which has been building up for months.

But 55 percent of those surveyed told YouGov they had no sympathy for the strike, which the GDL announced shortly before its members began walking off the job. The GDL has rejected a zero wage increase and, instead, is demanding a coronavirus bonus and pay rises of 3.2 percent during a 28-month period.

Quitter said, however, there was no question that the railway workers would resume work after the strike ended on Friday.

Under an emergency plan drawn up by Deutsche Bahn, only about 25 percent of long-distance trains are currently operating, with about 40 percent of regional services, forcing travelers to seek out alternative forms of transport.

The strike has also hit the urban rail services operated by Deutsche Bahn in many German cities, as a result causing havoc for commuters. The action also comes in the middle of the nation's annual summer vacation period: School holidays are currently underway in 11 of the nation's 16 states.

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