The holiday season is coming to an end, but millions of people are still dependent on the train. Another strike is possible. But it could also turn out differently.
“Negotiable” or not – a lot depends on one word for rail passengers. Deutsche Bahn has improved its offer to the GDL train drivers’ union.
If the GDL finds the offer negotiable, it could return to talks. If not, she wants to start preparing another strike this Monday. The decision of the union remained open until the afternoon.
So far, the GDL has struck three times in this collective bargaining round and met both commuters and holidaymakers in the process. There were also disabilities in freight transport. In the coming week, school will also begin in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The high holiday season is over.
The railway announced on Saturday that it would take a big step towards the employees’ side with an additional “remuneration component”. She did not publish details. The union, under the leadership of its chairman Claus Weselsky, only announced that it would examine the offer and confirmed on Sunday that it would inform “in due time” about further steps.
From the perspective of the Railway and Transport Union (EVG), the collective bargaining conflict should calm down. “I expect the negotiations to begin at the beginning of this week and that they will be concluded this week,” said chairman Klaus-Dieter Hommel of the “Stuttgarter Zeitung” and the “Stuttgarter Nachrichten” (Monday). However, the two unions are in fierce competition.
The GDL calls for 3.2 percent more wages with a term of the collective agreement of 28 months and a corona premium of 600 euros. The railway wants to extend the tariff increase over a longer period of time and is offering a term of 36 months. It also offers a corona premium of 600 or 400 euros, depending on the wage group.
The remuneration component should also be paid. The company did not disclose how much it should be or how it should be paid. Bahn personnel director Martin Seiler called for negotiations again. “There are viable solutions on the table.”
The train drivers’ union is repeatedly accused of wanting, above all, to expand its sphere of influence with its strikes. Employer President Rainer Dulger also sees it that way. “The GDL is fighting for the pioneering position in a large company and paralyzes the whole country for it,” he told the German press agency. He calls for a change to the right to strike. “Especially in the area of infrastructure, the state should think more sensitively about how to organize cooling phases.”
A sticking point in the collective bargaining conflict is the question of who the new contracts should apply to. The GDL not only wants to represent engine drivers and train attendants, but also to conclude framework collective agreements for employees in the workshops and in the infrastructure as well as for trainees. The railway now agreed to review the scope of the GDL tariff regulations in today’s GDL majority companies.
It is unclear whether that is enough for the GDL to return to the negotiating table. Weselsky had argued that his union had thousands of new members in other rail professions such as administration. They have a right to a collective agreement, which the railway denies them.
The background to the dispute is the Unified Collective Bargaining Act. This stipulates that in a company with several unions only the collective agreement of the employee representatives with a larger number of members is applied. From the point of view of the group, this is the competing railway and transport union EVG in a large part of the approximately 300 railway companies. The GDL partly doubts this and seeks clarification in court.
If there were to be another strike, a special action by the transport companies would also be affected. If you have a local transport subscription, you can use almost all local transport offers nationwide for two weeks from Monday at no additional cost. The transport companies would like to thank those who have remained loyal to buses and trains as regular customers even during the pandemic. If you want to use the offer, you have to register online beforehand.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
