FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Germany’s GDL train drivers’ union said on Sunday that it was calling on members to strike this week, an escalation of a wage dispute with rail operator Deutsche Bahn.
The strike is to run from Jan. 10 to Jan. 12, the union said, with cargo train drivers beginning their strike on Jan. 9.
The union said in December it planned a strike that would last several days after the Christmas holiday.
In reaction, Deutsche Bahn said it would try to put a stop to the measure with an injunction through a Frankfurt labour court.
Train drivers held a 24-hour strike early last month, the last strike of the year, after negotiations between the union and Deutsche Bahn broke off at the end of November.
GDL is demanding a reduction in working hours from 38 to 35 hours per week for shift workers, as well as an increase of 555 euros per month and a one-off inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros.
(Reporting by Tom Sims;Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Ros Russell)
