The train driver GDL union is demanding for working hours to be reduced from 38 to 35 hours per week without a pay cut, while Lufthansa's crew seek a 15% salary increase.
ADVERTISEMENTGermany's train drivers staged a 24-hour strike on Tuesday in the latest move of a long-running dispute over working hours with the country's main railway operator, while a walkout by cabin crew at Lufthansa takes place.
The GDL union called on drivers of state-owned Deutsche Bahn's passenger trains to walk out starting at 2 a.m. The union is demanding for working hours to be reduced from 38 to 35 hours per week without a pay cut.
In talks between the union and Deutsche Bahn, moderators suggested a reduction from 38 to 36 hours by 2028, but details of their proposal didn’t satisfy GDL. The union demanded a new offer by Sunday evening, which wasn’t forthcoming.
The latest GDL walkout — the sixth in a dispute that started last year — coincided with a separate 19-hour strike by Lufthansa cabin crew on flights departing from Frankfurt, Germany's largest airport.
The UFO union called on cabin crew to strike from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday as it seeks a 15% pay increase and a one-time payment of 3,000 euros per employee to offset inflation.
A similar walkout by cabin crew on flights departing from Munich is to follow on Wednesday.