Deal to end German rail strikes features a 35-hour work week with an option to work longer

BERLIN (AP) — Train drivers and some crew for Germany’s main railway operator will see their working week reduced from 38 hours to 35 by 2029 without having their pay cut, but they will have an option to work longer for more money. That’s a central element in the deal reached Monday between state-owned operator Deutsche Bahn and the GDL union after five months of negotiations punctuated by strikes. The two sides gave details of their deal to end the most disruptive of several pay disputes in the German transport sector that have coincided recently.