German rail services disrupted on day two of strikes

Berlin - German commuters faced delays Tuesday on railway routes connecting smaller towns as many train drivers stayed away from work for the second day of a 60-hour rail strike.

Many travellers used their cars instead, or used buses and trains that were not affected by the strike. The strikers are demanding pay rises from five commercial competitors to state-owned Deutsche Bahn that have concessions to operate the minor lines.

Deutsche Bahn's main line services, including its high-speed trains between main cities, were not affected.

Germany's rail tracks mostly belong to Deutsche Bahn. It and the other companies operate a patchwork of trains across the country, often sharing tracks and ticketing systems.

That integration made it difficult for many travellers to tell in advance if the train they intended to catch would be idled by the strike. In some cases, commercial trains continued to run with non- union drivers at the controls.

A rail drivers' union, GDL, wants to force commercial rail operators to match the pay rates offered to engine drivers by Deutsche Bahn. GDL is upset that some operators pay drivers 30 per cent less than Deutsche Bahn does.

The dispute is complicated because a bigger railways union disapproves of the strike and regards the GDL as mavericks.

The dispute may prove costly for GDL, which had already handed out strike pay to members for 119 hours of stoppages before the current strike began.

Dieter Hundt, president of the German Employers' Federation, told the newspaper Bild, 'The GDL is a minority union that is abusing the right to strike to serve the interests of a tiny group, harming passengers and the economy.'

The strike, which began Monday, was set to last until 2 am (0000 GMT) on Thursday, just before an upsurge in rail travel as Germans leave home for Easter holidays.

On Friday, Deutsche Bahn agreed to give its 20,000 drivers a pay rise of 2 per cent. The commercial operators employ 6,000 drivers.