Strike strands German travelers

A nationwide railway strike in Germany has brought hundreds of long-distance and commuter trains to a standstill.

The latest strike was called by the German rail workers’ union GDL on Saturday morning in an attempt to pressure German railway company Deutsche Bahn in an ongoing salary dispute.

According to the union, the three-hour strike brought 90 percent of the country’s trains to a standstill.

Reports say stranded passengers were queuing up at information desks at Munich’s main train station and that Deutsche Bahn employees were giving out free coffee.

Around 37,000 train drivers, conductors and shunters are represented by the GDL which demands a shorter work week and a 5 percent salary rise for its drivers.

This is the second German railway strike in a week. On Monday, about one thousand long-distance and regional trains were cancelled or delayed in a similar GDL strike.

On Friday, pilots at Germany’s flag carrier, Lufthansa, staged a six-hour strike, targeting short- and medium-haul flights, and causing travel disruptions to domestic and European destinations.

Lufthansa’s pilots staged a three-day nationwide strike in April over the early retirement scheme. The walkout, the biggest in the company’s history, caused 90 percent of Lufthansa flights to be cancelled. The carrier later announced that the strike cost the airline millions of dollars in lost business.

SRK/NN/AS