"We need railroaders with knowledge of the performance of their employees at the controls of the company. At any time of day and in any weather", rudiger geiger, chairman of the lichtenfels branch of the german locomotive drivers union (GDL), demanded. "Instead of managers who are busy with themselves and have to call in costly supporting consultants." during the GDL anniversary celebration for the lichtenfels – frankenwald – coburg area, geiger came down hard on the DB management level. The trade unionist (himself a locomotive driver) denounced the lack of a soft landing for the future of the railroads. This must be accompanied by a quick rethink. Respectful treatment of employees is just as important as the timely maintenance of the rolling ma-terial. "Only then", geiger continues, "passengers can once again board clean and safe trains. Staff who are happy to carry out their professional duties day after day."
In his opening remarks, district vice chairman bernd seubert (wurzburg) spoke of the successes achieved and the tasks ahead for the unions. Seubert criticized the fact that a lack of personnel is used as a reason for operational disruptions and even performance failures, and thus for annoying customers in passenger and freight transport.
Employee honors were embedded in a family coffee table at the "karolinenhohe" restaurant. For 25 years of membership in the GDL, dieter duck (lichtenfels), hartmut gotz (bad rodach), christian peter (stockheim/reitsch) and stefan kotschenreuther (michelau) were awarded with a certificate of thanks, a badge of honor and a prize. The union representatives jointly honored train attendant herbert kiesewetter (coburg) not only for 50 years of membership and service, but also for his commitment to his colleagues. "Five decades ago, our trains were still running on schedule. In any weather. Without point manager", rudiger geiger, chairman of the local group, mused. Klaus oelzner