The German Transnet and GDBA unions are in ndispute about pay and working conditions at the national rail operator Deutsche Bahn.

Nine cities are affected by the stoppage, which follows a company pay increase offer of just 1% each this year and next.

The French stoppage is the first phase of a national one-day strike, and started yesterday evening.

Hundreds of thousands of public and private sector employees are expected to stay away from work this morning as a mass demonstration against the consequences of the recession.

The eight national unions have issued a joint call to strike and a list of demands on the government and on companies, which they accuse of using the crisis as a pretext to lay off workers and cut costs

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German rail workers begin one-day warning strike

Reuters: Jan 29, 2009

BERLIN - Travellers in Germany faced delays on Thursday as rail workers in several large German cities began a one-day warning strike expected to disrupt large parts of the country's train transport system.

Trade unions Transnet and GDBA, which represent a total of 130,000 workers, said on Thursday some 30 rail workers walked out in Munich, affecting local and regional connections around Bavaria's state capital.

Walkouts were also planned for Nuremberg, Cologne, Hamburg, Saalfeld, Berlin and Magdeburg.

The unions have called for a one-day strike over pay and working hours at rail operator Deutsche Bahn DBN.UL, the country's dominant rail company. Talks are set to resume on Friday.

The move is reminiscent of a series of damaging strikes of up to 62 hours in 2007, including the largest rail walkout in German history, staged by German train drivers' union GDL.

Rail union GDL, which vies for members among train drivers with Transnet and GDBA, brought much of German rail traffic to a standstill during a series of strikes then.

It is also at loggerheads with management, but said it would not strike before February.