– by Klaus Lauer
Berlin (Reuters) – Rail travelers could now be spared strikes in the summer holidays.
Because after the failed collective bargaining round with Deutsche Bahn (DB), the railway workers’ union EVG is now also opting for a solution in arbitration. Accept the state-owned company’s proposal for such a procedure, the EVG announced on Thursday after a meeting of the federal executive board. At the same time, however, the vote on indefinite strikes is being held. “We are ready to start preparing for arbitration as soon as possible,” said EVG negotiator Kristian Loroch. “If the result is not convincing, there is a risk of a hot autumn, with massive effects on railways and buses in the Deutsche Bahn area.” Then there will be indefinite strikes, emphasized the EVG. The train responded positively. One will now discuss details of the arbitration, said a spokesman.
Last week, the EVG declared negotiations with the state-owned DB company to have failed and called on its members to vote. This should take about four to five weeks, after which indefinite strikes would be possible. According to union circles, the EVG had recently discussed a possible 24-hour warning strike on July 4th. If there is an arbitration, “the EVG would refrain from strikes during the vacation period if possible,” the union now explained. A labor dispute would “hit the completely wrong people,” said Loroch. “We have a particular focus on the travelers that we don’t really want to strike during the holiday season.”
“IF THE RESULT IS NOT CONVINCING, INDEFINITE STRIKES WILL FOLLOW”
EVG collective bargaining board member Cosima Ingenschay explained that the EVG members with voting rights at DB AG would vote on the result of the arbitration and thus also on the possibility of open-ended labor disputes. This means direct member participation. “If the result is not convincing, there will be indefinite strikes.”
They are striving for an early conclusion – but not at any price, added Loroch. “Our goal is to pick up on the last status of negotiations before failure.” In the meantime, collective agreements have been reached with more than ten railway companies, with a wage increase of 420 euros over a period of 21 months. The railways had recently promised a “high fixed amount” and an additional inflation adjustment of 2850 euros net for a period of 27 months and further structural improvements. Ingenschay explained last week that the current status of negotiations with the railways was a fixed amount of 400 euros in two steps – in December 2023 and August 2024. The EVG had criticized this as not enough.
The EVG had originally demanded twelve percent more wages, but at least 650 euros more per month – for a period of twelve months. The union negotiates for around 230,000 employees at around 50 rail and bus companies, including around 180,000 at Deutsche Bahn.
(Report by Klaus Lauer, edited by Hans Seidenstücker; if you have any questions, please contact our editorial team at [email protected] (for politics and the economy) or [email protected] (for companies and markets).)