The dispute between Deutsche Bahn and the Union of German Locomotive Drivers (GDL) continues: a new round of strikes will take place, starting this weekend and lasting until Wednesday morning, affecting both freight and passenger trains in Germany.

Deutsche Bahn workers to strike again from August 21

If you’re travelling by public transport in Germany next week, expect disruption, delays and cancellations: another round of industrial action is scheduled to take place in the coming days. The train drivers’ union GDL has announced that it will strike once again, starting from 5 pm on Saturday, August 21.

Over the weekend, the strike will only affect freight transportation, and so travellers shouldn’t experience much disruption. From Monday morning at 2 am, however, the strike will extend to passenger transport, and millions of commuters and vacationers are likely to be affected over the following 48 hours, with the strike expected to last until 2 am on Wednesday, August 25. 

What you need to know about the GDL strike in Germany

It is expected that around 75 percent of long-distance trains and 60 percent of local trains operated by Deutsche Bahn are likely to be cancelled once again - just like last week during the first strike. 

As with last time, Deutsche Bahn will recommend that travellers forego all but essential journeys and is offering free cancellation for all pre-booked tickets. Tickets for August 23, 24 and 25 can be used from trains from August 20 up to and including September 4. 

If your train is cancelled due to the strike, or you miss a connection due to delays, you can switch to a different train at no extra charge. You can also transfer to a different train if a delay of more than 20 minutes is expected. 

Even without a strike, the normal compensation rules apply: if your train is expected to be delayed by 60 minutes or more, you can get your money back if you do not start your trip or you decide to abandon it midway through. If you do get on the train, you can get 25 percent of the fare refunded if you are more than 60 minutes late, and 50 percent of the fare price for a 120-minute delay. 

GDL threatens further strikes if demands not met

Last week, GDL workers went on strike for 48 hours, causing major disruption across the country and affecting millions of passengers. Local rail services ran at about 40 percent of normal levels, while the DB information hotline received more than 30.000 calls!

The dispute revolves around salaries, with the train company recently offering workers a two-stepped increase of 1,5 percent in January 2022, followed by a further 1,7 percent in March 2023. The union is calling for wages to be increased more quickly, and a coronavirus bonus of 600 euros. DB has signalled that it will not revise its offer while one remains on the table to be negotiated over, and so described the second strike as superfluous and unnecessary.