Deutsche Bahn: What is different this time at the railway collective bargaining

Warning strikes at Deutsche Bahn are now almost an annoying habit for many passengers. Today, collective bargaining will start at the railway – this time with the railway and traffic union. The most important questions and answers at a glance.

Are passengers threatening warning strikes again?

With warning strikes, the unions always largely paralyze the DB sub-traffic in the course of collective bargaining. How to increase the pressure on the federal group. The EVG itself called twice to the warning strike in the last negotiations on railway 2023, and a planned 50-hour stand was canceled after a legal dispute. This time, however, a lot is different. The current collective agreement – and the associated peace obligation – runs until the end of March. At best, both sides have agreed until then.

Why is tariffs constantly being negotiated on the train?

Train customers sometimes have the feeling that collective bargaining at the DB is a permanent condition. Tariffs have been struggled every year since 2023. After all, two unions fight for influence on the train. In addition to the EVG, there is also the smaller but more controversial union of German locomotive drivers (GDL).

The collective bargaining contracts with the two employee representatives always have different times. After the agreement between the railway and EVG, it took only a few months until the start of the GDL tariff round in November. This dragged on to the following year for months. The clashes were characterized by longer industrial struggles. A little consolation: If the EVG and the railway actually agree within a few weeks, passengers will still have peace until the end of February 2026. Only then does the obligation to peace for the GDL end.

With what demands does the EVG go into the negotiations?

According to the union’s will, 7.6 percent more money should be for the approximately 192,000 employees, for whom the EVG collective agreements apply. Shifts are also said to have an additional money of 2.6 percent, which is said to be convertible in part in free days. There should also be a bonus payment of 500 euros for EVG members. And: All employees should definitely keep their job until the end of 2027. The union does not demand a certain term.

“In this collective bargaining round, we are more important to us for hard work and the security of income and employment,” said EVG negotiator Cosima Inschay. At the same time, the trade unionist made it clear that the pile of pouring is not put down. There will be no conclusion at all costs. If you do not get any further in the negotiations, everything is possible from April 1st

What role does the early Bundestag election play?

The election on February 23 is at least largely responsible for the negotiations to begin today. Due to the uncertainty that a new federal government could bring for the railway, the EVG asked for early negotiations. Because the Union, which the next government could lead, has long been calling for the rail to be destroyed.

“For more competition, infrastructure and transport sector must be separated more than before,” says the election program. The EVG vehemently rejects this and argues that none of the problems on the train are solved.

In order for the negotiations to pick up speed as quickly as possible, the union from the railway demands that it is already offering an offer today. You have to use “the little time that stays us” in order to move forward until the Bundestag election, said Inschay.

So far, the train has not commented on whether it will meet this wish. However, HR board Martin Seiler said: “For the renovation, we need stability and planning security so that the DB is becoming more economical and reliable again.”

What is the state in?

The train is in the crisis – economically and operational. Last year, the long -distance trains were, among other things, due to the dilapidated infrastructure as it was not as punctually as it has been in two decades. More than every third ICE and ICE were delayed.

The railway wants to extensively renovate important parts of the rail network in the next few years. But after the SPD, Greens and FDP government’s “traffic light” government, it is unclear whether the federal government will continue to provide the necessary billions.

At the same time, the train has financial problems. It is highly indebted. Important divisions, such as freight daughter DB Cargo, have been making high losses for years. The train also wants to renovate here. Thousands of bodies should be lost in the next few years. In the collective bargaining with the EVG, the financially close scope should become a sticking point.

EVG announcement on the claims DB-Info on the negotiations with the EVG