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(eca115): Embattled German rail boss quits under pressure

Mar 30, 2009, 11:23 GMT

Berlin - Hartmut Mehdorn, the embattled head of German rail carrier Deutsche Bahn, tendered his resignation on Monday after losing political support in the wake of a row over data protection. Mehdorn, who has run the state-owned company since 1999, has been under growing pressure since the rail operator admitted in February it had accessed confidential staff data as far back as 1998. Over the weekend, it emerged the company deleted a 2007 email sent by the train drivers union GDL to thousands of employees calling for strike action. The rail chief told a news conference outlining the company's 2008 figures that he had asked the head of Deutsche Bahn's supervisory board to release him from his contract. He said he hoped a successor could be found by the summer. Leading German politicians said of the weekend that Mehdorn's position had become untenable. Deutsche Bahn employs 220,000 workers. Plans to privatize the rail carrier were put on ice in November because of the global financial crisis.

Business News

(eca115): Embattled German rail boss quits under pressure

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