As of: March 7, 2024, 2:17 p.m
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A signal is red at Frankfurt Central Station. The GDL strike is scheduled to last until Friday afternoon at 1 p.m.
© Andreas Arnold/dpa
Passengers remain on the ground, passengers at the train station: The industrial dispute between two unions is currently leading to significant restrictions in rail and air traffic.
There is also uncertainty for travelers over Easter.
Berlin - Thousands of train cancellations, hundreds of canceled flights, millions of passengers and passengers affected: Since Thursday morning, industrial action by two unions has led to significant restrictions in both air and rail transport.
Anyone who wanted to travel within Germany had to use their own car, long-distance buses, rental cars or ride-sharing companies.
Verdi and the German Locomotive Drivers' Union (GDL) did not coordinate their strikes.
Both organizations are now focusing on making their strikes and warning strikes as unplannable as possible.
The uncertainty for passengers and passengers continues to increase.
Unannounced warning strike at Düsseldorf Airport
For example, security staff at Düsseldorf Airport went on a warning strike on Thursday without any warning.
Unlike at Frankfurt and Hamburg airports, where Verdi also went on strike at security checks, the action in Düsseldorf was not announced by the union, the airport and the union said.
This is intended to prevent the airport and its partners from being able to prepare for the strike.
According to the airport, around 320 take-offs and landings were planned for Thursday in the state capital.
Passengers had to expect delays and flight cancellations.
In addition, there was the warning strike by Lufthansa ground staff announced by Verdi.
This led to significant restrictions in air traffic, especially in Frankfurt and Munich.
The company announced that it would only be able to fly 10 to 20 percent of its original flight schedule during the strike.
The ground staff's warning strike is scheduled to last until Saturday morning at 7:10 a.m.
GDL also relies on short-term advance warning - Easter traffic uncertain
The train and passengers had largely prepared for what was now the fifth strike by the GDL train drivers' union this Thursday.
Around one in five long-distance trains were in use and the stations remained largely empty.
Many travelers had brought their journey forward or postponed it to a later day.
The union had already announced the strike on Monday after unsuccessful negotiations behind closed doors in the previous weeks.
But this ability to plan will soon be over.
For the first time in a rail tariff conflict, GDL boss Claus Weselsky wants to rely on so-called wave strikes in the future.
The union will then announce rail strikes with significantly less notice, he said a few days ago.
It is questionable whether the railway will then have enough time to set up a provisional short timetable as before.
Weselsky's stated goal: to ensure even more unreliability on the rails.
Even over Easter, passengers cannot be sure whether they will be able to travel to their families by train.
In any case, Weselsky has so far not agreed to an Easter peace in the stuck rail tariff conflict.
“Easter is still a few days away, actually weeks away, and that’s why I can’t answer that,” he said on RBB Inforadio on Thursday.
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High costs for companies and the economy
The rail strike not only affects passenger transport, but also freight transport.
The railway subsidiary DB Cargo, which controls around 40 percent of the rail freight transport market, has been on strike since Wednesday evening.
Experts fear that the labor disputes at Deutsche Bahn and Lufthansa will have a significant impact on the German economy.
“This is an additional burden that we don’t actually need,” said Clemens Fuest, head of the Munich Ifo Institute, on Thursday in the ZDF morning magazine.
“The economy is shrinking, and if something like that happens, then suddenly parts are missing from production that cannot be delivered, or people cannot come to meetings, perhaps even to work.”
According to economic expert Michael Grömling from the employer-related Institute of German Economy (IW), a one-day nationwide rail strike alone can cost up to 100 million euros a day in economic output if production and business activities of companies across sectors are disrupted.
“That also depends on the economic situation and the general functioning of the supply chains.
In the event of a strike lasting several days, the costs may not increase linearly, but rather more sharply.
What's next for the train...
The rail strike is scheduled to officially end this Friday at 1 p.m.
But passengers still have to expect train cancellations and delays throughout the day.
According to its own information, the company will only be able to put the full range back on the rails on Saturday.
In view of Weselsky's announcements, the great uncertainty only begins after the strike ends.
There is currently no solution in sight to the collective bargaining dispute.
The crux of the negotiations is the GDL's demand for a reduction in weekly working hours from 38 to 35 hours for shift workers without financial losses.
Weselsky even rejected a suggestion from external mediators who had brought up a reduction to 36 hours with full wage compensation.
... and like Lufthansa
The current industrial dispute at Lufthansa will also run until Friday.
There is also no compromise in sight in the tariff dispute.
Verdi is demanding, among other things, 12.5 percent more salary, but at least 500 euros per month for a term of twelve months.
The next negotiations are scheduled for March 13th and 14th.
Passengers must also expect strikes from another professional group in the near future.
A few weeks before the start of the Easter holidays, the flight attendants of Lufthansa and its regional subsidiary Lufthansa Cityline voted for strikes in a strike vote by the UFO union on Wednesday.
It remained unclear at the moment when strikes could be expected.
dpa