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German train drivers strike
18/10/2007 14:37 - (SA)
Berlin - Commuters in Germany's largest cities sat for hours in traffic jams on Thursday, after more than 1 000 train drivers walked off their jobs on the country's dense local rail network.
The strike targeting commuter trains in Germany's largest cities and eastern states started at 00:00GMT and was to last until 09:00GMT.
It was the second such action organised by German train drivers' union GDL, which is seeking better working conditions from railway operator Deutsche Bahn.
Deutsche Bahn scrambled to organise buses, but according to the ADAC national traffic service, the country's famed autobahn freeways were clogged.
"There is not an autobahn from Frankfurt to Cologne to Dortmund that is not clogged," ADAC spokesperson Maxi Hartung said, adding that Munich and Hamburg were hit equally hard.
GDL had called the daylong strike in an effort to pressure Deutsche Bahn into giving in to its demands of a cut in the working week by one hour to 40 hours and a pay increase of up to 31% for its members.
It has rejected a 4.5% raise that Deutsche Bahn agreed to in July in talks with two other unions, Transnet and GDBA.
Deutsche Bahn carries about 5 million passengers daily.
- AP
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