By Ayhan Simsek
BERLIN
German rail operator Deutsche Bahn and the train drivers’ union could not find an agreement Thursday night to end the longest-ever railway strike in Germany.
The German news agency DPA reported that both parties could not agree on the wording of the settlement offer proposed by a Frankfurt court, which decided late Thursday that the strike was compliant with the law.
A four-day rail strike hit Germany on Wednesday, threatening to disrupt celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
On Thursday, Deutsche Bahn requested an injunction against the train drivers' strike.
The rail operator argued that the four-day long strike by the union was "disproportionate" and that it would burden the planned national celebration over the weekend for the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.
The court’s offer intended to open the way for a solution to the row over labor agreement rights through mediation, German media reported, without giving more details.
Deutsche Bahn announced Thursday that almost two thirds of the train services would be suspended until Monday.
The strike led to cancellation of many long-distance, regional train services and also disrupted suburban train services.
The strike launched by the German Train Drivers’ Union, GDL, has begun late Wednesday and was originally planned to continue until Monday morning at 0300 GMT.
The union represents 34,000 of Deutsche Bahn’s 196,000 employees.
The union and the Deutsche Bahn are in a row over labor agreement rights and pay rise.
The union is demanding a 5 percent pay raise and a reduced 37-hour week.
The union has already held five warning strikes since September this year.
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