The union has been negotiating wage increases with dozens of rail companies since late February.
(Photo: dpa)
Fulda, Frankfurt Deutsche Bahn faces the threat of an indefinite strike in the coming days and weeks. Collective bargaining between the federation-owned bloc and the rail and transport union (EVG) has failed. The union made the announcement in Berlin on Wednesday evening. “The 27-month term was considered clearly too long against the background of the demands decided by Fulda at the time, while the proposed wage increase was too low and too late,” the union said. The EVG Federal Executive Council will decide in Berlin on Thursday how to conduct. If EVG calls for a shutdown, they should do so a few days in advance.
Among other things, labor disputes can disrupt the plans of many visitors to North Rhine-Westphalia. The summer vacation there starts this Thursday. EVG represents the state-owned company’s 180,000 employees. A strike would have huge consequences and largely paralyze action.
Since Deutsche Bahn also manages the rail network, rivals such as Flixtrain could be disadvantaged. For example, if the signal box is left unattended, nothing happens on the tracks.
In addition to an indefinite strike, an arbitration procedure could also be considered. One or more arbitrators will attempt to mediate between the parties to the collective bargaining agreement. A few weeks ago, an arbitration process paved the way for a dispute over public service wages to be resolved.
Here’s the problem: EVG has been competing for years with the much smaller train drivers’ union GDL. This represents about 10,000 members of Deutsche Bahn, but has tried to expand its reach over the years. GDL had already started negotiations in November and early June, and put forward their demands.
GDL puts pressure on EVG with demands of its own
Essentially, this means a monthly increase of €555, a reduction of three hours per week for shift workers, and a tax-free inflation adjustment of €3,000. GDL boss Claus Weselsky has repeatedly accused EVG of negotiating too badly for employees. With his current demands, he puts pressure on EVG. She wanted to show that she was a tough negotiator. This applies more to labor disputes than to arbitration.
EVG has been in talks with dozens of rail companies since late February to raise wages and salaries for a total of about 230,000 employees. The focus is on negotiations with Deutsche Bahn (DB).
On Tuesday, EVG announced an agreement with the Transdev Group, which includes companies such as Bayerische Regiobahn, Nordwestbahn and Transdev Hannover. The union said other private rail companies were also willing to sign contracts around this level, describing the conclusion as a benchmark for negotiations with Deutsche Bahn.
The union initially negotiated collectively, asking all employees for a monthly increase of 650 euros for a collective agreement period of 12 months. At the end of May, Deutsche Bahn pledged a 12 percent wage increase for low-wage workers in several stages over two years. In total, the middle group should get 10 percent more, and the upper group should get 8 percent more. Therefore, the first phase of interest rate hikes should be scheduled for this year. It is also planned to pay the inflation compensation premium in several installments totaling 2850 euros, which is tax-free and tax-free.
Institutional material from dpa.
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