Berlin, Nov 10, SPA -- German train drivers threatened wider strike actionnext week after goods services resumed on Saturday morning, followinga 42-hour shutdown, reported dpa. Manfred Schell, chairman of the GDL union which called the strike,said passenger services could be hit from Tuesday if state-owned railoperator Deutsche Bahn fails to make a new pay offer. The union said the strike that began at midday on Thursdayparalysed goods traffic in Germany's eastern states and also hittwo-thirds of the trains in the west of the country. Deutsche Bahn board member Norbert Bensel said it was "the worststrike we have ever experienced in the rail freight transport sector"and had a knock-on effect in neighbouring countries. "Several hundred trains are waiting at international borders toenter Germany," he said shortly before drivers began returning towork at 6 am (0500 GMT). "It is a terrible thing that 1,000 train drivers can threatenGermany's industrial base," he said, although most largemanufacturing companies said production had not been seriouslyaffected by the stoppage. The union, which represents around 15,500 of Germany's 19,600train drivers, is seeking a rise of up to 31 per cent in a separatewage contract to the one Deutsche Bahn signed with two larger unions. The rail operator rejects this, fearing it could prompt othersectors of the company to demand their own pay deals, makingcollective bargaining more difficult. Carmakers VW and BMW said production was continuing as normal,while steelmakers ThyssenKrupp and Salzgitter also said they had beenrelatively unaffected. Despite being one of the main targets, the north-eastern port ofRostock on the Baltic coast continued to operate. GDL boss Schell claimed 3,500 goods train drivers had heeded thestrike call and that around 1,000 of the 5,000 goods trains thatDB runs daily had been halted. Schell threatened to expand the strike next week to hit thecommuter and long-distance passenger traffic used by around 5 millionpeople daily. According to an opinion poll taken by public television, 57 percent of the population back the train drivers, while 39 per cent areopposed.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/498420