German train drivers’ union calls new 2-day strike

BERLIN (AP) — A union representing many train drivers at Germany’s national railway operator is calling members out on a new strike. The head of the GDL union said drivers of passenger trains will strike from 2 a.m. Monday to 2 a.m. Wednesday. Freight train drivers will start their strike on Saturday afternoon. It’s the union’s second round of walkouts in a bitter pay dispute with railway operator Deutsche Bahn. A two-day strike last week brought large parts of Germany’s long-distance and commuter train systems to a near-standstill. The union’s demands include a 3.2% salary increase and a one-time “coronavirus bonus” of 600 euros, or $700. Deutsche Bahn criticized the new strikes as “completely unnecessary.”