Economy Deutsche Bahn
Collective bargaining failed – now there is a risk of indefinite strikes
Status: 22.06.2023 | Reading time: 2 minutes
Collective bargaining failed again
The railway union EVG has declared collective bargaining with Deutsche Bahn to have failed. She announced that the wage increase offered by the state-owned company was too low and that the 27-month period was clearly too long.
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After the negotiation marathon in the past week, a collective bargaining agreement at Deutsche Bahn seemed within reach. Instead, there is now a risk of a restless summer for all passengers. In addition to a strike, an arbitration procedure is also conceivable.
An indefinite strike is threatening Deutsche Bahn in the coming days and weeks. The collective bargaining between the federally-owned group and the railway and transport union (EVG) has burst.
“The Central Tariff Commission of the EVG declared the negotiations with Deutsche Bahn on Wednesday evening to have failed after a long and very intensive discussion,” said the EVG. The term of the collective agreement is too long and the wage increase offered is too low and too late.
The federal executive board of the EVG will decide on how to proceed on Thursday in Berlin, said EVG negotiator Kristian Loroch. In the afternoon, EVG and Bahn continued their talks in Berlin. Strikes are now possible, but arbitration proceedings are also conceivable. Deutsche Bahn criticized the termination of collective bargaining by the EVG.
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The union negotiates for around 230,000 employees at around 50 rail and bus companies, including around 180,000 at Deutsche Bahn. In the meantime, the EVG has targeted wage agreements with several private competitors of the state-owned company. The agreements with the Transdev Group, for example, include a total wage increase of 420 euros and inflation compensation premiums of around 1000 euros or more, with a term of the collective agreement of 21 months.
Bahn: “The EVG throws away an almost finished degree”
The EVG had originally demanded twelve percent more wages, but at least 650 euros more per month – for a period of twelve months. According to the last published status, Deutsche Bahn offered up to twelve percent more wages for a period of 24 months. This would be ten percent more for middle incomes and eight percent more for higher incomes. In addition, there would be 2,850 euros to compensate for inflation later this year.
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Deutsche Bahn accused the EVG committees of not being willing to compromise. “The EVG throws away an almost completed degree and sets everything to zero just before the finish. An agreement was within reach, 140 pages of collective bargaining text have already been completed,” said DB HR Director Martin Seiler. “We negotiated intensively, fought hard and reached many partial agreements. That’s all off the table now.” Deutsche Bahn asked the EVG to come to a good solution quickly. Deutsche Bahn remains open to talks and negotiations.