German train drivers to end strike early on Monday instead of evening
The train drivers' union at Germany's state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn will end its six-day strike early, the two sides said on Saturday.
The strike is the fourth, and longest, in a bitter ongoing collective bargaining dispute between the GDL trade union and Deutsche Bahn.
It has caused massive disruptions to passenger and freight rail services throughout Germany, with the majority of trains cancelled.
The GDL's members are going to cease the industrial action for wage increases at 2 am Monday (0100 GMT) instead of Monday evening as planned.
Drivers of freight trains are to end their strike on Sunday at 6 pm.
The main point of contention in the labour dispute is shorter working hours for shift workers.
The step means for passengers, operations are likely to largely return to normal on Monday.
The early end of the strike comes after operator Deutsche Bahn and the drivers' union GDL held talks overnight, dpa learned.
The GDL has been on strike at Deutsche Bahn for several days in order to increase the pressure on the federally owned company in the ongoing wage dispute.
The union's main demand is a reduction in weekly working hours for shift workers by three hours while wages remain the same.
No further strikes are planned until at least March 3, with operator Deutsche Bahn and the GDL agreeing to halt industrial action until that point, dpa learned.
Negotiations are to be held behind closed doors as of February 5, with negotiators seeking to reach a wage agreement by the beginning of March.
The train drivers' union has been on strike at Deutsche Bahn since early Wednesday morning, while industrial action in freight transport began on Tuesday evening.
During the strike, operator Deutsche Bahn maintained around 20% of its usual service level on long-distance services, running an emergency timetable.
As during past industrial action, the impact on passengers using regional transport varied from one region to the next.
The latest agreement is the first sign of hope in weeks that a solution may be found in the protracted dispute.
The two sides began pay talks in November but successive rounds failed to deliver a breakthrough, leading to an escalation.
Last week, the company presented an offer that includes a 4.8% pay rise for staff as of August and a further 5% increase from April 2025.
Under the proposal, train drivers and attendants could then choose between a further pay increase of 2.7% or to work one less hour per week as of January 2026.
But the union rejected an additional demand made by the operator, namely that the choice as of 2026 was subject to the company having sufficient train drivers and attendants employed at that time.
