BERLIN: Following two previous strike actions lasting many days, Germany's train services will be again badly affected until September 6 due to renewed strike actions by the German Train Drivers' Union, which rejected the latest attempt at mediation shortly before the start of the strikes on Wednesday.

"A collective agreement is reached in negotiations and cannot be dictated," said Martin Seiler, personnel director at Germany's rail company Deutsche Bahn (DB), said in a statement. In addition to a wage increase of 3.2 percent, GDL demands a Covid-19 bonus of 600 euros ($708) as well as collective agreements for the entire rail infrastructure, for network, station and service as well as the workshops.

The strike will last until 2 am on September 7. “It is one of the longest industrial actions that we have carried out, and deliberately so,” said GDL boss Claus Weselsky. He said the union felt compelled to call the next round of strikes because Deutsche Bahn has not so far submitted an offer on salaries that “works with numbers, data and facts.” 

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