After the end of the strike: Rail traffic back to normal

After the three-day strike by the train drivers' union GDL in Saxony, Deutsche Bahn is running according to normal schedule. "There are no more strike-related restrictions, trains have been running according to plan again since the start of operations in the morning," said a spokesperson for the federally-owned company on Saturday in response to an inquiry. From Wednesday morning until Friday evening, the GDL staged a nationwide strike on passenger rail services, causing thousands of train cancellations. After the end of the industrial action, Deutsche Bahn continued to operate according to an emergency timetable in order to prepare for a smooth start to operations on Saturday morning.

GDL and Deutsche Bahn have been negotiating new collective agreements since the beginning of November. Among other things, the union wants a reduction in weekly working hours for shift workers from 38 to 35 hours with full pay compensation. Deutsche Bahn rejects this and has offered to extend existing optional working time models. However, those who reduce their working hours will have to accept financial losses.