In the face of widespread annoyance for both passengers and businesses alike the niche corporatist train drivers’ union, GDL, has just launched its 8th strike since the start of its long running dispute that started back in July 2014. A weeklong strike starting on May 04, 2015 at 15.00hr kicked off in the freight section and will extend to rail passengers from 02.00hr on May 05, 2015 before ending on Sunday May 10, 2015 at 09.00hr. During a press conference in Berlin, Klaus Weselsky, GDL leader held management at Deutsche Bahn (DB) wholly responsible for the escalation in the dispute. For him DB still refuses to recognize the GDL’s right to negotiate collective agreements for their own train crew union members. He is accusing the German rail company of ‘play acting’ and of not seriously seeking agreement with the GDL and instead is focusing on adopting the ‘Law on single unions in companies’ that will effectively dissolve this dispute. Declaring the strike to be “completely inappropriate and over the top” DB management has called on the union to come to the conciliation table for talks.
10 month long dispute with no breakthrough. According to the GDL leader, Klaus Weselsky, despite an agreement in principle that was concluded in December 2014 (c.f. article No. 8799), the company’s position has not in fact moved at all. He holds that the latest round of talks broke down on April 29 was because DB was still refusing GDL its constitutional right to negotiate collective agreements for all of its train crew members and not just only for the train drivers.
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