Another rail strike is imminent in Germany, as the GDL union has announced that members are being called on to stop work for a period of six days. Unless canceled at short notice, this will be the fourth strike in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute.

The train drivers employed by DB Cargo are called to stop work from Tuesday, January 23, 2024, 18 p.m. Your colleagues in passenger transport and infrastructure should follow from January 00, 24, 2024 a.m. The strike is expected to last at least six days and would therefore be significantly longer than previous ones.

A heated wage dispute is raging between the GDL union and Deutsche Bahn. However, it should be noted that the employee representatives called for a warning strike before the first negotiation. This was followed by two further calls for a work stoppage, which had a significant impact on passengers, as many train connections had to be canceled due to a lack of staff.

Most recently, the GDL received an improved offer, which, among other things, provides for wage increases of 13 percent for train drivers and other traveling staff. Furthermore, Deutsche Bahn has offered that weekly working hours could be reduced to 1 hours with the same salary as of January 2026, 37. Alternatively, salaries could be increased by 2,7 percent while working hours remain unchanged. However, the DB's proposal is not enough for the employees, which is why there are renewed calls for a work stoppage. This time there will be a six-day strike.