Deal to end German rail strikes features a 35-hour work week with an option to work longer
Train drivers and some crew for Germany’s main railway operator will see their working week reduced from 38 hours to 35 by 2029 without having their pay cut, but they will have an option to work longer for more money
BERLIN (AP) — Train drivers and some crew for Germany's main railway operator will see their working week reduced from 38 hours to 35 by 2029 without having their pay cut, but will have an option to work longer for more money, the two sides said Tuesday.
The arrangement is central to a deal that state-owned operator Deutsche Bahn reached Monday with the GDL union, which represents many of its drivers and some other workers, after five months of negotiations punctuated by strikes.
Several pay disputes in the German transport sector have coincided recently, and this was the most consistently disruptive. Others have involved local transport workers, ground staff and cabin crew for Lufthansa and airport security staff.
The rail strikes led to most long-distance and many regional trains being canceled, in some cases for days at a time in Europe's biggest economy.
