Berlin, May 12: Transport union EVG on Thursday called a new round of strikes on Germany’s rail network as workers demand higher wages to cope with inflation, an industrial action slammed as “insane” by train operator Deutsche Bahn.
The latest strike to hit Europe’s largest economy will begin at 10:00 pm local time (2000 GMT) on Sunday and end on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday at midnight.
The walkout is the latest in a series of strikes on Germany’s rail system in an escalating pay dispute between the union and management.
“Workers’ patience is now really exhausted,” said EVG’s deputy chairwoman Cosima Ingenschay.
“We are forced to go on strike for 50 hours to show how serious the situation is,” Ingenschay said at a press conference.
But Deutsche Bahn’s human resources chief Martin Seiler blasted the action.
“This insane strike is completely unfounded and overblown,” he said.
“Millions of travellers won’t get where they want to go — to school, to work, to their loved ones,” Seiler said.
Deutsche Bahn said it anticipated the walkout having a “massive impact” on the rail network.
Previous strikes have seen the entirety of the country’s regional and long-distance services grind to a halt.
Freight services across Europe will also be impacted by the strike, Deutsche Bahn warned, with a number of key cargo corridors passing through Germany.
