The ''Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokomotivführer'' (GDL, engl.: ''Union of German Train Drivers'') is a German trade union that represents workers in train companies. It has a membership of 34,000.

2007 strike

In August 2007 the GDL planned to strike after talks failed with

Deutsche Bahn (, ; abbreviated as DB or DB AG ) is the national railway company of Germany, and a state-owned enterprise under the control of the German government. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). DB was fou ...

, the main German railway operator, over a range of demands from the union. A key disagreement was GDL's wish to represent its members in collective bargaining processes, independently of other unions representing staff in that job category. On 8 August 2007, the

labour court A labor court (or labour court or industrial tribunal) is a governmental judiciary body which rules on labor or employment-related matters and disputes. In a number of countries, labor cases are often taken to separate national labor high courts. O ...

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

declared that a strike of affected long-distance and goods services would be illegal if carried out before 30 September, claiming it would affect the national economy too severely. Norbert-Quitter_GDL_Streikrechtsdemo_Frankfurt_2015-04-18_LWS4941

Norbert-Quitter_GDL_Streikrechtsdemo_Frankfurt_2015-04-18_LWS4941

On 2 November 2007, the labour court in Chemnitz overturned a previous judgement limiting strike action to short-haul routes. After the decision the GDL declared a three-day strike. It was the first national rail strike since 1992 and of unprecedented duration.Landler, "German Rail Strike Disrupts Travel and Freight," ''New York Times,'' November 16, 2007.Chambers, "Economic Damage Feared As Rail Strike Grips Germany," ''Reuters,'' November 14, 2007."Will Train Drivers Steal Christmas?", ''Der Spiegel,'' November 16, 2007. The strike ended as the union had planned, at 2:00 a.m. CET on the morning of Saturday, November 17, 2007, but without a new contract."German Rail Strike Ends But More Walkouts Loom," ''Reuters,'' November 17, 2007."German Rail Strike Ends, Union 'Very Happy' With Result," ''Associated Press,'' November 17, 2007.Rose, "German Railway Union Halts Strike, Demands New Offer By Nov. 19," ''Bloomberg Business News,'' November 17, 2007. On 19 November 2007 the labour court in Nuremberg admonished Deutsche Bahn for its practice of contacting multiple labour courts around the country to try and obtain an injunction against strike action, which it regarded as misuse of the legal system.

2014 and 2015 strikes

In 2014 the GDL started a series of strikes of the German railway system as a result of Deutsche Bahn declining its demands for a shorter working week (reduced from 39 hours to 37 hours), for a 5% pay increase and for the right to independently represent 17,000 railway workers not working as engine drivers in collective bargaining processes. Deutsche Bahn maintained that it would only enter collective bargaining with a single trade union per job grouping, as was the case until June 2014 when GDL had an agreement with the much larger EVG union. The strikes continued in 2015 with a three-day railway strike starting on 21 April 2015, the GDL's seventh strike in 10 months. This was followed by a strike from 4–10 May, the longest strike in Deutsche Bahn's history. A further strike started on 19 May 2015 and finished on 21 May as the GDL and Deutsche Bahn agreed to allow

arbitration Arbitration is a formal method of dispute resolution involving a third party neutral who makes a binding decision. The third party neutral (the 'arbitrator', 'arbiter' or 'arbitral tribunal') renders the decision in the form of an 'arbitrati ...

to resolve the conflict.

2023 and 2024 strikes

On 16 November 2023, the GDL staged a 20 hour strike. On December 8, 2023, the GDL then staged another strike, this time lasting 24 hours. These two strikes in December 2023 were considered to be "warning strikes." As neither of the two "warning strikes" would result in progress for contract negotiations between the GDL and Deutsche Bahn, the GDL soon announced plans for longer strikes "after January 8." On 10 January 2024, the GDL began a three day strike. On 24 January 2024, the GDL began a six-day strike, their longest ever.

References

External links

GDL homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokomotivfuhrer Trade unions in Germany Railway unions in Germany