Train drivers’ strike in Germany ends prematurely Titan or pseudo-giant? The media is overwhelmed by the Trump ‘phenomenon’

The train drivers’ union ends its strike at Deutsche Bahn prematurely. According to information from the German Press Agency, a strike in passenger transport will only take place until 2 a.m. on Monday morning instead of until Monday evening.

This means that passengers should be able to prepare for largely normal business operations again on Monday. The freight transport strike ends on Sunday evening at 6 p.m. Various media also reported on Saturday about the early end of the strike.

No further strikes until early March

There will be no more strikes for a while. According to the information, the railways and the GDL have agreed on a peace commitment until March 3. From February 5, the rates will be negotiated behind closed doors. According to the information, the goal is to reach a collective labor agreement in early March. It was already known on Saturday morning that both parties were in talks again.

The strike was the fourth strike since the collective bargaining dispute began. It started on Tuesday evening for freight traffic and Wednesday morning for passenger traffic. In recent days, the railway has offered approximately 20 percent of its usual long-distance services with an emergency timetable. In regional transport, the effects of the strike varied per region.

First communication after weeks of escalation

Now that the agreement has been reached, for the first time in weeks there is hope for a speedy resolution of the hardened conflict. The collective negotiations between DB and GDL started in early November. After the first round, GDL boss Weselsky called for a warning strike. After the second round, he declared that the talks had failed and launched a strike vote. Since then, signs point to escalation rather than negotiations.

The focus of the debate recently has been on weekly working hours for shift workers: the GDL is calling for a reduction from 38 to 35 hours with the same pay. The railroad has so far denied this request.

The core of the week are the working hours for shift workers

Last week, the group presented an offer that includes 4.8 percent more money for employees from August and a further 5 percent more from April 2025. Under this DB offer, drivers and train conductors can choose between a further pay increase of 2.7 from January 2026 percent or one hour less per week.

The GDL was mainly affected by this offer due to an additional restriction: the DB had made the option available as of January 1, 2026, on the condition that there would be sufficient drivers and train conductors employed by the group. (sda/dpa)