Despite the cancellation of the warning strike, rail travelers must expect problems at the beginning of the week. According to railway information, only about two thirds of the planned long-distance trains are running today. After all, the goodwill regulations should continue to apply.
The planned 50-hour warning strike by the railway and transport union EVG at Deutsche Bahn has failed, but restrictions are to be expected at the beginning of the week. This was announced by Bahn AG. Today, only around two thirds of the planned trains are to be used in long-distance traffic.
Train: Reschedule 50,000 train journeys
For regional traffic, the railways generally spoke of “restrictions and cancellations”, which can be expected regionally. The reason for the problems is the short-term cancellation of the warning strike. The company said that rail operations had to be reorganized from shutting down to raising within 24 hours. “For this purpose, around 50,000 train journeys nationwide in long-distance and local traffic alone, as well as the associated shift and deployment plans, have been rescheduled since yesterday. Vehicles have to be rescheduled and some of them have to be taken to new departure points,” it said. From Tuesday, all ICE and IC trains would be back on the road as planned, the railway promises.
Goodwill rules remain in place
Even after the cancellation, Deutsche Bahn wants to stick to its goodwill rules. For journeys between Sunday and Tuesday, for example, the train connection will be lifted to allow flexible use of the tickets during this period. Alternatively, tickets for these travel days could be refunded free of charge.
However, since the warning strike was only canceled at Deutsche Bahn, some connections by private rail companies will also be canceled on Monday and Tuesday. In Bavaria, for example, the Bayerische Oberlandbahn (BOB), the Bayerische Regiobahn (BRB) and the Meridian are affected, as the railway and transport union EVG announced. The EVG is currently negotiating new collective agreements with dozens of railway companies.
Group and union conclude settlement
The warning strike was called off when Deutsche Bahn and EVG agreed to a mandatory settlement in court. The issue of the minimum wage was also discussed. The EVG emphasized that the minimum wage issue the prerequisite for all further negotiation topics.
The labor court in Frankfurt submitted the comparison. The responsible judge had indicated several times that she had doubts about the legality of the announced strike. The EVG runs the risk of losing in court if it does not agree.
The EVG has now agreed with Deutsche Bahn to continue negotiations quickly. There will probably be another round in Fulda on May 23rd. If these talks do not yield results, the union could call warning strikes again.