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STRIKES

Are the German rail strikes going to end soon?

Passengers are hopeful that the frequent disruptions to rail services could soon be at an end after Germany's state-owned rail operator returned to the negotiation table with the train drivers' union.

Published: 10 September 2021 11:02 CEST
Are the German rail strikes going to end soon?
A man sits on an otherwise deserted platform in Freiburg during strikes in early September. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Philipp von Ditfurth

According to reports from DPA, Deutsche Bahn plans to make a “new and improved” offer to the GDL train drivers’ union ahead of this weekend in an attempt to see off renewed strike plans on Monday. 

READ ALSO: Trains return to normal across Germany – but more strikes loom

The GDL had previously said it was planning to start organising its next walk-out from September 13th – less than a week after its previous six-day strike action – if the rail operator did not come back with a “negotiable offer” by that date.

The contents of the planned offer have not yet been disclosed to the media, but a Deutsche Bahn spokeswoman said that the company was intensively examining where both sides could come closer together.

“In the interest of our customers, we must now urgently reach an agreement,” she told travel news site FVW. 

Ongoing wage dispute

So far in August and September, there have been three rail strikes organised by the GDL in an attempt to force Deutsche Bahn’s hand in a fierce battle over wages.

Having suffering record losses in the wake of the Covid pandemic, the rail operator wants to introduce a 3.2 pay increase for its staff in increments over three years – starting with a pay freeze in 2021. It has also promised that nobody will be laid off as a result of the company’s post-pandemic losses.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How the German rail strikes could affect you

The GDL, meanwhile, is insistent that employees should be offered a wage increase of 3.2 percent over the next 28 months. In addition, the union is demanding a €600 ‘Covid bonus’ for continuing to work throughout the pandemic.

Ahead of the previous strike action, Deutsche Bahn said it was open to considering some kind of Covid bonus for employees.

But GDL chairman Claus Weselsky has accused the rail operator of being inflexible.


GDL chief Claus Weselsky has accused Deutsche Bahn of “playing for time”. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Paul Zinken

“We’ve given Deutsche Bahn time to think things over after the last strike, but it seems to me that the railway board is taking a bit long to think things over,” Weselsky said. He added that Deutsche Bahn was apparently playing for time, but warned that this could no longer be an option.

Weselsky has previously rejected offers from Deutsche Bahn that are not extended to all employees, and has said that all of the GDL’s demands must be met for the intermittent strikes to come to an end.

Majority of Germans disagree with the strikes

According to a YouGov survey on behalf of DPA, 53 percent of Germans had no sympathy with GDL’s most recent strike. In contrast, just over a third (36 percent) said they understood the union’s motives.

The strikes during the holiday season affected not only commuters but also holidaymakers. Moreover, the third strike in passenger transport also extended over the weekend.

According to the survey, around one in seven people in Germany were affected by the stoppages, which wreaked havoc on rail transport in all major cities and regions across the country.

READ ALSO: How to navigate the Deutsche Bahn train strikes in your region of Germany

Will the strikes be called off?

This all depends on the substance of the offer that Deutsche Bahn plans to make.

The GDL has assumed an unbending stance over the months-long dispute, and at this point it seems unlikely that anything other than an almost complete acceptance of their demands will get the union to call off the strikes. 

In a press statement issued on Thursday, Weselsky said that the question of whether the union should strike “has never been questioned by our members who are ready to fight”, adding that their right to strike had also been affirmed by the courts. 

READ ALSO: German rail chaos continues after two failed attempts to prevent strikes

“The alternatives are therefore on the table and DB has the choice of where to go,” he said. However, it should not wait too long to make its decision. We have been clear about the time frame.”

Member comments

    1. The first thing we learned when moving here is not to depend on the bus or the trains. They are very unreliable and strike at the drop of a hat. We pay more for our car, but we’ll get there and when we planned on getting there.

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a soft launch of the new EU border system – the entry/exit (EES) system – on the assumption that it will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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