The German Railways Union (EVG) on Thursday announced a new 50-hour strike starting Sunday and ending on Tuesday, as talks continue with German state railway company Deutsche Bahn and 50 other companies in the railway sector over a wage increase without result. progress.
The strike is scheduled to begin at 20:00 GMT on Sunday and end at 22:00 GMT on Tuesday. It would be the latest in a wave of strikes in several European countries as the cost of living crisis drains income.
“There is little progress at the negotiating table, so we will organize a new strike again,” said Cosima Engenshai, head of the EVG collective bargaining team. “The offer on the table should improve considerably.”
Deutsche Bahn described the planned strike as “totally unjustified and totally disproportionate”. “The EVG wants to paralyze the country by organizing a 50-hour strike instead of reaching a compromise,” said Martin Seiler, a member of the board of directors.
Deutsche Bahn said the strike would have a “massive negative impact on all German rail travel” and “a major impact on freight trains across Europe”.
This follows a nationwide strike by railway workers in April that paralyzed trains, and coincides with strikes at German airports announced by members of another union.
The union, which is negotiating on behalf of 230,000 employees, including 180,000 at Deutsche Bahn, seeks a 12 percent wage hike or an increase of at least 650 euros ($715) per month.
Deutsche Bahn proposed an increase of 10% for low- and medium-wage workers and 8% for high-wage workers, with the implementation of these increases in stages.
