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BERLIN (AP) -- German train drivers ended a 30-hour strike Friday morning against commuter and regional services across the country but did not get closer to an end of the conflict with the national rail operator. The GDL union's strike, which started Thursday at 2 a.m. (0000GMT) and ended Friday at 8 a.m. (0600GMT), was the third such walkout -- the longest one yet -- in a pay dispute with railway operator Deutsche Bahn AG. GDL wants better working conditions and a significant pay raise for train drivers. More than 2,000 train drivers walked off their jobs, according to GDL, and only one out of every two trains ran in western Germany on Friday morning. The east was even worse-hit with only 10 percent of all regional trains running. A spokesman for the union said the motivation among the striking train drivers was still very strong and that GDL would announce at a news conference later Friday further plans regarding strikes next week. "The willingness to strike is high and unbroken," Maik Brandenburger said. GDL hopes to pressure Deutsche Bahn into giving in to its demands of a cut in the working week by one hour to 40 hours and a pay increase of up to 31 percent for its members. It has rejected a 4.5 percent raise that Deutsche Bahn agreed to in talks with two other unions that represent railway workers. Deutsche Bahn carries some 5 million passengers daily.
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