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German rail strike ends as operator, union agree to mediation

Xinhua, May 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Germany's national railway operator, Deutsche Bahn, and a union of German train drivers said Thursday that they agreed to enter mediation and put an end to the ninth rail strike in 10 months.

Deutsche Bahn and the GDL train drivers' union announced the end of the rail strike on Thursday morning.

"Train passengers in Germany can breathe a sigh of relief ... The strike is over with immediate effect," said Deutsche Bahn in a statement.

The railway company added it was pulling out all the stops for services to return to normal as soon as possible, and would announce later in the day when normal services could resume.

According to media reports, Deutsche Bahn and the GDL agreed to enter mediation to settle their month-long dispute over wages, working hours and negotiating rights. The mediation is scheduled to begin on May 27 and last for three weeks.

The GDL, which represents some 20,000 train drivers, is demanding a wage rise and shorter working hours for drivers as well as the right to represent other rail workers such as conductors and restaurant carriage staff.

This week's rail strike was the GDL's ninth since negotiations failed with Deutsche Bahn last year, the third in 2015, and the second in just a month. It had stopped German freight trains since Tuesday and most passenger trains since Wednesday. Endit