Germany’s rail and transport union EVG announced a 25-hour warning strike starting 05:00 CET Monday, 28 September, hitting Alstom Lokomotiven Service GmbH’s main overhaul site in Stendal as well as satellite depots in Chemnitz and Waibstadt. The action follows three fruitless wage rounds in which—according to EVG—ALS workers earn up to €500 less per month than peers at other Alstom plants. Although passenger services are not directly targeted, the Stendal facility performs heavy maintenance on hundreds of diesel and hybrid shunting locomotives used by private freight operators and regional passenger concessionaires. A one-day stoppage could delay rolling-stock hand-backs, forcing operators to cascade spare units or cancel some paths later in the week. Corporate mobility departments that rely on short-haul freight charters—for example, ‘factory shuttles’ feeding just-in-time automotive plants—should monitor customer bulletins from Captrain, NorthRail and DB Cargo, all of which have engines under ALS service contracts. A prolonged labour dispute could also ripple into Alstom’s warranty work on the new Siemens-built ICE Neo sets, scheduled to enter German service this winter. EVG says further strikes are possible if Alstom fails to table a “serious” offer. The company, meanwhile, emphasises it remains committed to a site agreement protecting the 280 jobs in Stendal and is “confident” a deal can be reached without major operational fallout.
Source: Presseportal (EVG release)
