Union representing German train drivers calls strike that will hit passenger services

BERLIN (AP) — A union representing German train drivers is calling its members to strike for 24 hours this week, following the breakdown of talks with the main national operator in what is shaping up to be an unusually difficult dispute over pay and working hours. The GDL union said on Wednesday that the strike will affect passenger services operated by state-owned Deutsche Bahn from 10 p.m. on Thursday until 10 p.m. on Friday. Freight trains will be hit from 6 p.m. Thursday. The walkout follows a 20-hour strike last month, when Deutsche Bahn ran a much-reduced long-distance schedule — as it has on previous occasions when GDL took industrial action.