Commuters face new restrictions on the train. Further warning strikes are imminent in the collective bargaining dispute with the EVG railway union. Meanwhile, a report about bonuses worth millions is causing a stir.
Deutsche Bahn travelers have to be prepared for train cancellations again. The railway and transport union (EVG) wants to announce the next round of warning strikes in the wage dispute with the railway industry today. The scope and timing of the labor dispute were initially unclear. With the measures, the union wants to increase the pressure on the employer side.
In the conflict, the EVG has already twice called for nationwide warning strikes in long-distance and regional transport, which has largely brought it to a standstill. The union has been negotiating with Deutsche Bahn and 50 other railway companies since the end of February about higher tariffs for around 230,000 employees. The next round of talks with Deutsche Bahn is scheduled for May 23.
In the negotiations, the union wants to get at least 650 euros more per month for the employees or twelve percent for the upper income earners, all of this with a term of the collective agreement of one year. Deutsche Bahn, on the other hand, wants to be guided by the conclusion of the public service, which was achieved at the end of April.
Bonuses for executives at Deutsche Bahn
A media report, according to which thousands of Deutsche Bahn executives received bonuses totaling at least a three-digit million amount at the end of April, caused unrest in the midst of the wage conflict. The bonuses were paid to 30,000 employees, including around 3,800 managers, reported NDR and “Süddeutsche Zeitung” on Wednesday evening. From railway circles it was said that the group “fulfils the employment contracts of the employees, which have been in force for decades, including collective bargaining employees and managers”. The NDR quoted a railway spokesman, according to which the funds were paid out at the end of April.
The railway is currently heavily criticized, among other things, because of the low punctuality rate in long-distance traffic. Last year, the long-distance trains only reached 65.2 percent of the stops on time. The goal for this year – a rate well over 70 percent – is difficult to achieve after the performance in the first four months. Above all, the railways are struggling with a dilapidated infrastructure and the resulting construction sites.
According to the NDR report, punctuality and customer satisfaction are part of the bonus calculation, but were weighted with zero percent this time. Employee satisfaction, women in managerial positions, the achievement of financial goals and personal goals were included in the calculation of the “variable salary components”. According to the media report, the group board was initially excluded from the special payments. These payments are currently under review.
Source: Stern
