German Train Drivers To End Strike Early As Talks Resume

Germany's GDL train drivers' union will call off its industrial action earlier than planned as negotiations with rail operator Deutsche Bahn resume, both sides informed, Maria Martinez reported for Reuters.

The union said it will now end the strike in freight transport on Sunday at 6 p.m. and in passenger transport on Monday at 2 p.m. I Photo: GDL - Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokomotivführer Facebook

The strike, the fourth and longest round of industrial action in a months-long dispute over pay and working hours, began at 2 a.m. (9 a.m. in Manila) on Wednesday and was set to last until Monday evening.

But the union said it will now end the strike in freight transport on Sunday at 6 p.m. and in passenger transport on Monday at 2 p.m. Transport workers across Europe have staged strikes to demand higher wages to cope with the impact of inflation.

"Negotiations are finally back on track. Our customers have planning security, and our employees have the prospect of early pay rises," Deutsche Bahn's human resources director Martin Seiler said.

Both parties have agreed to negotiate in private over the next five weeks, and there will be no strikes until at least March 3. The talks will be strictly confidential, and the parties will not make any public announcements until they have concluded, they added.

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