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German railway strike expected to cost industry 100 mln euros a day

Xinhua, April 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Major German industrial groups warned on Tuesday that the coming strikes of train drivers could cause a damage of up to 100 million euros (about 107 million U.S. dollars) per day to the industry, as it would interrupt supplies and goods transportation.

German train drivers' union GDL called for new multi-day nationwide strikes after a recent failure to reach an agreement with German state-owned railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) over a wage dispute.

The walkout of freight trains was scheduled to start at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT) on Tuesday and last until 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) on Friday, while drivers of passenger trains would strike from 2 a.m. (0000 GMT) Wednesday to 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Thursday.

It was the latest in a series of strikes of train drivers in recent months. "Production losses in the industry were expected due to the continuous strikes," said Dieter Schweer, a member of the executive board in Federation of German Industries (BDI), criticizing GDL of "irresponsible" and "lost all sense of proportion".

According to him, damage related to strikes could reach as much as 100 million euros per day. Chemical, steel, automotive and other industries that rely extensively on railway logistics would be hit the most.

Alexander Schumann, the chief economists of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), also criticized on Tuesday that the repeated strikes of train drivers was like "a sword of Damocles" and "poison for Germany".

In an interview with German media, he pointed out that 1 million tonnes of goods were transported by rail in Germany every day and strikes would lead to production stoppages in key industries.

Besides, more than 6 million commuters were daily dependent on railway transportation, Schumann said, strikes would not only bring nuisance to those affected but would also challenge companies and lead to significant costs. Endit