The nationwide warning strikes in Germany by railway workers over pay discrepancies on the German railways has been called off, ahead of another round of negotiations scheduled on 29 October.
The German Railway Civil Servants and Trainees' Union (GDBA) and Transnet ruled out any further strikes this week.
About 1,700 railway workers walked away from their posts during the morning commute in major German cities on 26 October, protesting against wage inequality between six of the largest private rail operators and the national operator Deutsch Bahn.
The walkouts were primarily held in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony, according to Reuters.
The unions said private rail operators were using wage dumping as a competitive advantage to gain attractive rail contracts, and that the latest offer by employers simply intensifies the discrepancies between regional and long-distance route wages.
Workers have stated that close-distance train personnel earn up to 20% less than those on long-distance routes and demanded a uniform wage structure for the industry.
The unions have been in talks with DB and private operators about a nationwide tariff agreement, which aims to avoid the competition in the railway industry over employee wages.
