After a canceled warning strike, there is movement in the wage dispute. The company and the union have announced talks for today. Both sides are silent about possible content.
In the ongoing collective bargaining dispute at Deutsche Bahn, the state-owned group and the EVG union want to meet for further talks this Wednesday. Both sides had previously agreed on confidentiality regarding the location and the exact time. According to the railways, the meeting will primarily be used to prepare for the next official collective bargaining round in Fulda in the coming week.
In a comparison before the Frankfurt Labor Court last weekend, the parties to the collective bargaining agreement were able to largely eliminate a sticking point on the subject of the minimum wage. The railway and transport union (EVG) then canceled an announced 50-hour warning strike at short notice. Nevertheless, both sides are still far apart when it comes to demand and offer.
No substantive discussions so far
In its negotiations with Deutsche Bahn and dozens of other railway companies, the EVG wants to achieve, among other things, 650 euros more per month or 12 percent for upper income earners over a period of 12 months. In addition to an inflation compensation premium, Deutsche Bahn has so far promised percentage increases of a total of 10 percent for lower and middle incomers and 8 percent for upper income earners. The group plans a term of 27 months.
Despite several collective bargaining rounds, there have not yet been any substantive discussions about the specific demands. The EVG first wanted to clarify the issue of the minimum wage. Around 2,000 employees have so far only received this through allowances. However, the union wanted to retrospectively include the statutory minimum wage of currently 12 euros an hour in the tariff tables, so that all future agreements can refer to this higher base.
The railway has now agreed to this. However, even after the settlement before the labor court in Frankfurt, the EVG still needs to discuss some details. It is possible that this will be discussed further on Wednesday. However, the two sides did not initially say anything about the content. The official next round of negotiations at Deutsche Bahn is scheduled for May 23rd and 24th in Fulda.
Source: Stern
