Target: Volker Wissing, Minister of Transport for Germany
Goal: Address long-term issues with rail provider facing multiple crises.
America’s recent onslaught of labor strikes has traveled overseas. Currently, worker discontent is expressing itself particularly prominently in Germany: a nation at times heralded for its cooperative approach to labor relations. The rail transport industry has experienced a large amount of this discontent. The GDL Trade Union that represents train drivers and other rail workers has authorized its 40,000 members to strike half a dozen times since the year’s beginning.
The workers are fighting for better wages and hours. What is the primary rail operator doing in response? The organization, instead of trying to compromise with these valued employees, is filing an emergency court action to stop the strikes. This entity is already riddled with debt, and its seeming mismanagement is causing major disturbances not only to workers but to the many passengers that rely on the rails for needed transportation. Subsequent snags in the supply chain will also ultimately hurt consumers as prices rise.
Sign the petition below to demand this government-owned entity get its act together.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Minister Wissing,
“Without the railway, nothing works in this country.” The human resources department of Deutsche Bahn certainly got this assertion right, but the blame is being placed on the wrong individuals. The 40,000-plus rail workers who comprise the GDL Trade Union want their just due for the work they have performed. The perpetual crises and debts afflicting Deutsche Bahn are not of their making, nor should they have to suffer the brunt of the consequences.
The German government is ultimately responsible for this rail operator, and it falls upon the German government to rectify the massive disruptions to transportation and to consumer supplies (not only in Germany but across Europe) wrought by Deutsche Bahn’s failures. Honor the cooperative approach this nation has proudly built, and fix these failures at the structural level. Moreover, make good-faith negotiations and compromise with the workers who drive the German economy and make consumer experience a top priority.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Rolf Heinrich Koln
152 Signatures