Court Bans Second German Rail Strike

A court has banned German train drivers' union GDL from going ahead with its planned train strike on Thursday, according to German rail operator Deutsche Bahn.

German train drivers voted on Monday to strike against national railway Deutsche Bahn, a move that would have caused chaos for thousands of commuters and brought freight trains to a halt.

The GDL had planned a four-hour strike by freight train drivers on Thursday as part of a demand for a 31% pay increase and separate wage contracts.

But yesterday a labour court in the southern city of Nürnberg banned the planned strike after Deutsche Bahn sought a court injunction.

The latest unrest follows strikes by German train engineers last month who aborted a walk-out after Deutsche Bahn won another court injunction declaring the strikes 'illegal.' The engineers were awarded a 4.5% pay rise - the highest seen in Germany this year.

Reported by staff writer