Berlin: German railway operator Deutsche Bahn and train drivers’ union GDL have reached an agreement over a pay dispute that has led to months of strikes across the country.
“The German Train Drivers Association (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.
More details will be announced at a press conference on Tuesday, according to the union.
Since November, train drivers have walked out six times, upsetting a large number of passengers.
These attacks often last several days and disrupt freight traffic, with the latest outage occurring in mid-March.
At the end of January, one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history paralyzed train services across the national network for five days.
It calls for more money for GDL members, as well as 35 hours for the same pay as the current 38 hours a week.
Europe’s largest economy has faced months of industrial action, with workers and managers in top industries struggling to cope with high inflation and weak business activity.
The attack worsened an already bleak economic picture, with the German economy contracting 0.3 percent in the past year.
Deutsche Bahn’s cut last year was about 200 million euros ($217 million), according to the operator, which last year forecast a total net loss of 2.35 billion euros in 2023.
Historically, Germany has had one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe.
20 But since the end of 2022, the country has experienced labor unrest, with real wages down four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.
German airline Lufthansa is also involved in a wage dispute with ground staff and cabin crew.
Several strikes in recent weeks have disrupted the group’s operations and will affect first-quarter results, according to group executives.
Airport security officials have been conducting rounds since January.
Some politicians have called on Germany to introduce regulations to limit critical infrastructure such as rail transport ahead of the protests.
But Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected the call, saying “the right to strike is enshrined in the constitution and is a democratic right that unions and workers fight for.”
The attack increased pressure on Scholz’s coalition government between the Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP.
The right-wing AfD is enjoying a surge in popularity as it heads to elections in East Germany’s three main states later this year.
