Germany: Bahn and GDL train drivers' union strike pay deal

The German GDL train drivers' trade union said on Monday that it had struck a pay deal with Deutsche Bahn, ending an acrimonious labor dispute that had led to several strikes and even court challenges. 

It said that further details would be made public at a Berlin press conference on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. (1030 GMT).

Deutsche Bahn said it, too, would hold a Tuesday morning press conference "on the current state of wage talks" at 10:00 a.m. (0900 GMT) in Berlin.

Six rounds of negotiations, a series of strikes, failed mediation and court challenges had accompanied the disagreement in recent months. 

But the two sides recently returned to the negotiating table, with the GDL agreeing to a strike-free period during the renewed talks, and this appears to have led to an accord. 

Several other labor disputes, particularly involving German airports and the country's biggest airline Lufthansa, remain unresolved. 

The various disputes had combined to regularly create weeks with public transport disruptions commonplace in the country, sometimes even affecting two modes of transport at once. 

Political and public critcism of the strikes had intensified in recent weeks, as had the frequency of disruptions. 

js/msh (AFP, dpa, Reuters)