This will begin in passenger transport on Wednesday morning at 2 a.m. and last until Monday next week at 6 p.m., the union announced on Monday night. Connections between Germany and Austria are also likely to be affected once more. The ÖBB advises travelers to postpone unnecessary train journeys.
Exact information regarding the strike and the affected connections to and from Austria is constantly updated online, as the ÖBB announced on Monday in response to an APA request. “We ask all affected travelers to postpone non-essential trips to Germany or to choose alternative travel options,” it continued. The train connection for ÖBB tickets to and from Germany is no longer valid; night train tickets can also be used during the day. Tickets purchased before January 22nd can be canceled and refunded if the trip does not start. Tickets that have already been purchased can also be used for longer, namely until February 5th.
In German freight traffic, the strike is scheduled to begin on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m., and in passenger traffic on Wednesday at 2 a.m. The strike is scheduled to last until Monday evening, January 29th, 6 p.m. The strike also covers the weekend. In addition to commuters, day-trippers are also affected. Thousands of connections are likely to fail. During previous strikes by the GDL, Deutsche Bahn only ran a fifth of the actual range on long-distance transport. In regional transport, the effects varied greatly depending on the region.
Longest industrial dispute at Deutsche Bahn
It is the fourth and by far the longest industrial dispute in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute at Deutsche Bahn. Before the turn of the year, the GDL paralyzed large parts of German passenger traffic in two warning strikes, followed in January by a three-day strike with a similar effect. The German Locomotive Drivers’ Union (GDL) responded to the railway’s most recent offer, with which it had once once more responded to one of the GDL’s core demands.
“With the third and supposedly improved offer, Deutsche Bahn AG has once once more shown that it is undeterred in pursuing its previous course of refusal and confrontation – there is no trace of any desire to reach agreement,” said the GDL statement. The railway, in turn, accused the union of exacerbating the conflict. Anyone who doesn’t even come to the negotiating table when a new offer is made is acting absolutely irresponsibly, said Human Resources Director Martin Seiler.
Criticism from the Minister of Transport
Germany’s Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) criticized the actions of the GDL under its boss Claus Weselsky. “I have zero understanding for this form of collective bargaining,” he said on Monday in the ZDF morning magazine. In his opinion, the collective bargaining conflict between Deutsche Bahn and GDL is becoming increasingly destructive. “I don’t think Mr. Weselsky is doing himself or his union any favors with this style,” added Wissing.
The offer from Deutsche Bahn presented on Friday provides 4.8 percent more money for employees from August and a further 5 percent more from April 2025. In addition, payment of the inflation compensation premium is planned immediately following a possible collective bargaining agreement. According to the DB offer, the term should be 32 months.
Deutsche Bahn is also offering train drivers and train attendants the opportunity to reduce their working hours from 38 to 37 hours with the same salary from January 1, 2026. According to the offer, anyone who decides once morest the reduction will instead receive 2.7 percent more money. In total, the employees who stick with their current working hours received 13 percent more gross money with the offer than they do now. The GDL demands 555 euros more per month as well as an inflation compensation bonus for a 12-month term.
The crux of the collective bargaining round is the weekly working hours for shift workers. The GDL calls for this to be reduced from 38 to 35 hours with full wage compensation. The railway considers this to be unachievable and points out the high personnel costs that it would mean. The collective bargaining conflict between the railways and the GDL has been going on since the beginning of November. The GDL declared the talks to have failed following the second round of negotiations. There have been no negotiations since November 24th. After a strike vote among the GDL members, indefinite strikes are also possible.
