Freight train operators working for the German state-owned rail company Deutsche Bahn walked off the job January 24 to begin a six-day strike, making it one of the longest industrial rail protests in German history.

According to The Loadstar, the strike actions from the locomotive drivers’ union GDL came after Deutsche Bahn rejected a third labor deal proposal from the organization. Following the rejection, the union announced plans to boycott the next round of negotiations scheduled for January 25.

"We have to strike longer and harder because the railway management is resistant to advice," GDL leader Claus Weselsky told broadcaster ARD.

According to Reuters, one of the GDL’s main demands is a reduction in working hours to 35-hour weeks (down from 38 hours currently) without having to take a pay cut. Deutsche Bahn has argued that this is too costly, and the company would need to increase its workforce by 10% in order to meet this demand, in the face of what industry analysts describe as a skilled labor shortage.

"We believe you have to come to the table; you have to find compromises," a Deutsche Bahn spokesperson told reporters. "That is the only way."

Germany’s Transport Minister, Volker Wissing, said that the strike could cost over half a billion euros if it continues through January 29 as scheduled.