German train drivers call for renewed multi-day strike

Germany's GDL train drivers' union on Monday said it has called on employees of state-owned Deutsche Bahn (DB) to go on a multi-day strike again.

The strike will begin on Wednesday at 2 am (0100 GMT) and continue until 6 pm on Monday the following week, GDL said in a statement released in the early hours of Monday.

Union members at DB Cargo, which is responsible for freight transport, had already been called to strike from 6 pm on Tuesday.

On Friday, Deutsche Bahn presented a new wage offer to bring the GDL back to the negotiating table. It includes an option for one hour less working time for train drivers and train attendants from January 1, 2026. The offer also included a 4.8% pay rise for employees from August and a further 5% from April 2025.

Deutsche Bahn is also offering train drivers and train attendants the option of reducing their working hours from 38 to 37 hours per week from January 1, 2026, with the same salary. Those who decide against the reduction will receive a 2.7% salary increase instead, according to the offer.

However, this was not enough for new negotiations. "With the third and allegedly improved offer, Deutsche Bahn AG has once again shown that it is continuing to pursue its previous course of refusal and confrontation undeterred - there is no sign of a willingness to reach an agreement," the GDL statement said.

Deutsche Bahn defended its offer to the GDL. "DB is focussing on compromises, the GDL is exacerbating the conflict excessively," a DB spokesman said.

This will be the fourth strike in the current wage dispute. Before the turn of the year, the GDL paralysed large parts of passenger transport in two strikes, followed by a three-day strike with a similar effect in January.