Strike paralyzes train services in Germany

The ongoing strike of German train drivers entered into a new phase on Tuesday as it expanded to passenger trains and forced German railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) to cancel a majority of its long-distance services.

Passenger train drivers stopped working at 2:00 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Tuesday, joining their colleagues in freight trains which already started the strike yesterday afternoon. According to the train drivers' union GDL, the strike would last until 9:00 (0700 GMT) on Sunday.

DB said in a statement that only one third of its long-haul trains and two thirds of its regional trains were running. Subway services in some German cities, which were operated by the company, were also affected.

The strike, the eighth since July last year and the longest in DB's history, came as GDL and the railway company failed to reach an agreement over a labour dispute.

GDL wanted to raise train drivers' wage by 5 percent and to shorten their working hours. It was also seeking to get a right to represent other railway staff, such as stewards, in collective bargaining.

The demands were rejected by DB which suggested taking the dispute to arbitration after failures in several rounds of negotiations in the past.

About six million commuters were daily dependent on railway services in Germany and companies in chemical, steel and auto industries rely on freight trains to deliver their supplies and products.

On Monday, when the strike started, German business groups warned that the industrial action would deliver a heavy blow to the German economy if it lasted for the whole week as planned.

According to Eric Schweitzer, the president of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), the strike would cause an economic cost of "half a billion euros" (about 555.9 million U.S. dollars).

On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also urged DB and GDL to find a quick solution as the strike was creating "serious burdens" to the people and companies. Endit