Deutsche Bahn: College round without warning strike? Finale in rail negotiations

For days, Deutsche Bahn and the Railway and Transport Union (EVG) have been struggling in the third round of negotiations for a tariff degree for around 192,000. They gave themselves time up to and including Sunday. If there is no agreement until then, the desired conclusion before the Bundestag election should hardly come about. The EVG would have missed an important goal. Warning strikes with considerable restrictions for passengers would not yet be possible. But that would only be a question of a few weeks.

When would warning strikes be possible?

The current collective agreement runs until the end of March, and until then there is a so -called peace obligation. The EVG can only call warning strikes from April 1. Even if no solution is found today, there are still a few weeks to avert the restrictions on passengers. However, failure would indicate heavier, solvents. In addition, the EVG has always emphasized that the employees would generally be ready for industrial struggles.

What is being negotiated?

With demands for 7.6 percent more, the EVG has gone into the tariff round for shift workers. Part of the additional money should be converted into days off. In view of the economic crisis on the railway, the EVG also wants an employment guarantee by the end of 2027.

The railway had already brought an offer at the first meeting and has now improved it. At the beginning of the ongoing negotiating round, it stipulated a gradual tariff increase for shift workers of around 7.9 percent including additional money. For all other employees, the fee would increase by 4 percent. The term should therefore be 37 months.

What happens if no compromise is found today?

The time until the Bundestag election next Sunday will be scarce – especially since the EVG has set a two -day session of the federal executive during the week, regardless of the tariff round. So if there is actually no agreement, warning strikes will be at least more likely in April. “Everyone must be clear what it means if we do not get a tariff in the next few days. Then industrial action is again an option,” said EVG negotiator Cosima Ingenschay before the start of the current round.

Because the reason why the negotiations were originally preferred – namely the Bundestag election – were in the event of a failure. The EVG should then no longer see any reason to continue negotiating at the end of March before the peace is required.

Why is it in a hurry? And what does the train stand?

The EVG pressed the pace before the negotiations – and asked to prefer the talks. The reason for this is the concern that the next Chancellor could be called Friedrich Merz. The CDU politician wants to separate network and operations at Deutsche Bahn-the EVG defends itself against it and sees no solution to the problems of the cravilating group.

The railway, in turn, is in an economically and business desolate location – and relies on a renovation program by 2027. In this context, the federal group also wants security for collective agreements. In this sense, the railway strives for a relatively long term of 37 months for the contract with the EVG.

How have the conversations have been?

Both sides emphasize that so far it has been constructive. For example, the railway had already brought an offer at the start of the negotiation and was discussed in the further course of the union’s central demands. This includes additional money for employees in shift work. In addition, the results of the collective bargaining round should also apply to the employees of the heavily battered freight daughter DB Cargo. Most recently, crispy was the demand for a bonus payment for EVG members, the term of the new collective agreement and an employment assurance required by the union by 2027.

DB for the tariff round EVG for a collective bargaining round