What can Deutsche Bahn passengers expect this summer? The train drivers’ union GDL wants to announce details of their planned strikes.
After several strike threats, the train drivers’ union GDL wants to give details of its planned industrial action at Deutsche Bahn today.
In Berlin, GDL boss Claus Weselsky appears in front of the media to justify the expected warning strikes during the holiday season. According to the union, the corresponding committee decisions have been made.
A few days ago he announced that the strikes would be harder and longer than in the past. In 2014/2015, GDL members went on strike in eight waves and stopped work initially for an hour and later for several days.
Bahn and have made each other responsible for the failure of previous collective bargaining. The GDL is calling for wage increases, as in the public sector, of around 3.2 percent and a significant corona bonus in the current year. According to Deutsche Bahn, the total demands add up to about three times as much. Because of the pandemic, the company wants to orient itself towards the “emergency collective agreement” of the airports, which would spread a similar increase of 3.2 percent over a longer period and later step points.
The rival union EVG had already signed a collective agreement last autumn. From the beginning of 2022, employees will receive 1.5 percent more money – little compared to collective bargaining rounds in better times. For this, compulsory redundancies are excluded until the end of 2023. The GDL now wants to get more out of strikes.
Deutsche Bahn has repeatedly asked the union to return to the negotiating table. There are well-founded offers for more wages and additional protection against dismissal on the table, about which the GDL top has so far refused serious negotiations, said a spokeswoman on Wednesday. After the tough months of the pandemic, the GDL wanted to destroy the spirit of optimism.
Rising booking numbers had just given the state-owned company hope for a respite in the corona crisis. The crisis tore a gap of more than 4 billion euros in 2020 alone, and by 2024 the already heavily indebted group expects a total damage of around 10 billion euros from the pandemic.
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.
