German train drivers began a 66-hour strike over pay and negotiating rights on Tuesday, which industry said could cost as much as 100 million euros ($100 million) a day in production stoppages. The strike started at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT) for freight trains and will affect passenger services from 2 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Wednesday. About a fifth of the freight in Germany, Europe's biggest economy, is transported by rail and millions of commuters use the railway every day. The GDL union, which represents about one in 10 of railway operator Deutsche Bahn's nearly 200,000 workers, wants a 5-percent pay rise and a reduction in the working week to 37 hours from 39. It is also fighting for the right to negotiate on behalf of other employees including train stewards. The BDI industry association said the strike would hit the whole country and that after a few days of strikes the cost of disruption from assembly line stoppages could balloon to as much as 100 million daily from about 1 million euros per day. "GDL is acting irresponsibly and has lost all sense of proportion," BDI manager Dieter Schweer said, noting that the chemical, steel and auto sectors could be hardest hit. Germany's steel industry association, which transports 200,000 tons of raw materials and steel daily by rail, said a three-day strike would cause "huge problems" and could cost the sector millions of euros in additional costs. The DIHK chambers of commerce also criticised the strike, with chief economist Alexander Schumann saying it was not only an annoyance for commuters but that it could cost firms "a significant amount of money". GDL chief Claus Weselsky told German radio the strike was Deutsche Bahn's fault because the state-owned rail operator would not sign up to what had already been agreed. "GDL is walking out not because train drivers want to go on strike but it had to declare the talks as having failed," he said. "I'm not playing with a poker face any more." Strikes in Germany are relatively unusual due to a system of collective bargaining between unions and employers which are usually settled at the negotiating table. Deutsche Bahn said that it aimed to have about one third of trains running. (Reuters)