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Germany faces renewed wave of airport, train strikes

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A stop sign stands in the check-in area of German airline Lufthansa during a strike action by ground crews, services staff and security personnel, at Frankfurt's International Airport, western Germany, Feb. 20. AFP-Yonhap

A stop sign stands in the check-in area of German airline Lufthansa during a strike action by ground crews, services staff and security personnel, at Frankfurt's International Airport, western Germany, Feb. 20. AFP-Yonhap

Germany's transport sector is expected to come to a halt later this week as train drivers and Lufthansa ground staff announced plans for renewed strikes.

The strike in passenger transport is to start on Thursday at 2 a.m. and is to last for 35 hours, the head of Germany's train drivers' union GDL, Claus Welesky, announced on Monday.

In the rail freight sector, the strike is set to begin on Wednesday at 6 pm.

"This strike will last a total of 35 hours, 35 hours so that everyone in the country realizes what we are talking about: namely the 35-hour week," said Weselsky.

The GDL union also said it no longer plans to announce future strikes 48 hours in advance.

This is the fifth strike in the months-long wage dispute with state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn. The union broke off the most recent round of negotiations on Thursday after around four weeks.

The GDL and Deutsche Bahn have been struggling for months to reach a new collective labour agreement. The sticking point is the union's demand for a reduction in weekly working hours from 38 to 35 hours for shift workers without financial losses. (DPA)