 Public support for the union's demands may be wavering |
Passenger train drivers at Deutsche Bahn began a 48-hour stoppage early on Thursday, joining freight counterparts who had walked out the day before.
Goods transportation in eastern Germany has been badly hit, while Audi had to cancel a shift due to a lack of parts.
The union, GDL, wants a 31% pay rise, while Deutsche Bahn is offering 10%.
Rising rhetoric
GDL officials maintain their 34,000 members are paid much less than drivers in other European countries.
It is about time the GDL gave ground. They are asking too much 
Deutsche Bahn says its offer is fair and refuses to single out drivers for special treatment, having agreed a 4.5% pay deal with 195,000 of its other workers in July.
The strike - which is due to end early on Saturday - has severely curtailed suburban and regional services in most of Germany's largest cities although inter-city services are running more normally.
Freight services in eastern Germany have come to a virtual halt while the disruption has caused a knock-on effect at major ports such as Hamburg.
And the rhetoric in the three-month dispute has become increasingly trenchant.
"What I cannot understand is that the country can be raped," said GDL chairman Manfred Schell, "just because Deutsche Bahn management simply refuses to take up negotiations".
Deutsche Bahn has insisted it will not "cave in" to the union's demands, warning that prolonged strike action will cause serious economic damage.
There are signs that the disruption of recent days is eroding support for the workers, with one poll in Bild newspaper putting backing for the action at less than 50%.
"I am pretty fed up with this," David Fekete, an employee with a car rental firm in Berlin, told Reuters.
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