German court rejects railways lawsuit, rail strike to continue

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - A German court dismissed an attempt on Thursday by rail operator Deutsche Bahn to stop a nationwide strike through an injunction by the GDL train drivers' union which has crippled the country since Wednesday, labor court judge Ursula Schmidt said. The court ruled the strike does not violate any laws and is not out of proportion. The decision means that the strike over negotiating rights and pay by the union with its 20,000 members will continue until Monday, idling some 196,000 Deutsche Bahn workers and millions of travelers. State-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn [DBN.UL] had filed the injunction with the court on Thursday after the GDL drivers' union rejected an offer of mediation and began what will be the longest strike in the German railway's post-war history. Deutsche Bahn had hoped the court would stop the strike and appoint mediators. Deutsche Bahn, which had seen the chances of success as limited, can appeal the decision. (Reporting by Peter Maushagen; writing by Erik |Kirschbaum; Editing by Chris Reese)