Appeal hearing in German rail strike

A regional labor court in Frankfurt on Friday began hearing an appeal by German railway operator Deutsche Bahn, which is contesting an earlier ruling by a lower court rejecting its application for an injunction to stop an unprecedented walkout by train drivers.

On Thursday, the lower court ruled that the four-day-long strike was proportionate and did not breach industrial relations law. The ruling came after hours of negotiations between the two sides that failed to produce a settlement.

The strike began with a walkout by freight train drivers on Wednesday, and was extended to passenger services early on Thursday. If it continues until Monday, as the GDL union plans, it will be the longest industrial action in the 20-year-history of Deutsche Bahn.

The GDL is demanding higher wages, a shorter working week and the right to negotiate on behalf of more than just train drivers and engineers. The latter point is opposed by the larger EVG trade union for rail and public transport staff, which says the GDL is trying to recruit its members and gain more power.

The row relates to free association principles -- applying to both worker and employer groupings -- anchored in Germany's constitution.

Call for negotiations

Deutsche Bahn's personnel director Ulrich Weber on Friday called on the train drivers to resume negotiations.

"We can very quickly talk today, tomorrow or on the weekend, but what I miss is a willingness to talk on the part of the GDL," Weber told German public television.

"We have had weeks and months, and there has not been a single recognizable step toward each other, which is normally how the collective bargaining process works," he added.

Disruption in Berlin likely

The industrial action threatens to mar celebrations this weekend to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Disruptions are likely to suburban train services in the capital, Berlin - which will see a number of large-scale public events to celebrate the occasion.

Deutsche Bahn has said its financial losses from a four-day strike would exceed 50 million euros ($63 million).

tj/ipj (dpa, AFP)