BERLIN, November 8 — Caving in to patriotism and nationalism, the leaders of the German train drivers union, GDL, cut short the national strike that has crippled train traffic, so as not to dampen the November 9th celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The climb-down points up the dilemma faced by rail workers, who without communist leadership are stuck with choosing between two reformist-led unions.
The strike was the largest in the state-owned Deutsche Bahn’s 20-year history. The workers’ main demands were a 5 percent wage hike and a two-hour reduction in the work-week to 37 hours. The GDL also wants to win the right to represent all train crew members, not just train drivers.
The rival EVG union is run by corrupt, do-nothing hacks, and many conductors and dining car workers have switched to the GDL. Of the Deutsche Bahn’s 37,000 train crew members, 19,000 now belong to the GDL.
Eleven conductors gathered in a Berlin café and spoke to reporters. Linda shoved her work schedule across the table and said, “If I wasn’t on strike, I’d be doing a 12½-hour shift.” Another co-worker, Michael, explains: “We’re only supposed to work one 12-hour shift a week, but after that they kill us with 11½-hour shifts.” “At the end of the shift,” Linda continues, “I wouldn’t be home in Berlin — I’d be in Cologne. This strike isn’t just about money, it’s about being able to have a family life.” Her colleagues around the table nodded in agreement.
The GDL has threatened to call another strike if no progress is made in negotiations. Today, only one train in three was running because management was unable to react quickly to the ending of the strike. The strike cost the rail company an estimated 200 million euros ($250 million).