The members of the railway and transport union have accepted the arbitration in the wage dispute with Deutsche Bahn. Further strikes have thus been averted – but negotiations with the train drivers’ union GdL are still pending.
The railway and transport union (EVG) has decided against further rail strikes. 52.3 percent of the EVG members accepted the arbitration agreement in the collective bargaining dispute with Deutsche Bahn (DB) in the ballot and thus rejected new open-ended labor disputes, the EVG announced.
EVG boss Martin Burkert spoke of a “collective agreement based on solidarity”. Voter turnout was 65.3 percent.
There had been several warning strikes in the collective bargaining dispute with DB that had been smoldering since February. At the end of July both sides then agreed on an arbitration procedure. The EVG then recommended to its approximately 103,000 surveyed members to accept the arbitration award, even if the agreement had “lights and shadows” and the compromise was difficult.
wage increase plus inflation premium
According to this, wages at Deutsche Bahn are to rise by 410 euros a month in two steps. From December there will be an additional 200 euros gross, and another 210 euros more from August 2024. The term of the collective agreement is 25 months. In addition, there will be a tax and duty-free inflation premium of 2850 euros in October.
Structural increases in the tariff tables were also agreed for individual professional groups, which will be applied after the contract term. The incomes of a good 70,000 of the approximately 180,000 employees will thus increase significantly once again.
In addition to more money for the employees, the collective agreement also includes points from which the group hopes to increase productivity. For example, a more flexible working time model was agreed at DB Cargo.
arbitration result previously criticized
The union had demanded twelve percent more wages, but at least 650 euros more per month – for a period of twelve months. In the past few weeks, many members have therefore emphasized in posts on social networks that they do not agree with the arbitration result. Some of the negotiators were clearly criticized. According to trade union circles, a number of large state associations had also expressed skepticism about the arbitration proposal before and during the ballot.
EVG negotiator Kristian Loroch said that the social partnership between DB and EVG did not “completely pass one of the toughest tests”. A lot of time and energy must be invested in order to rebuild what was broken during the collective bargaining round.
Deutsche Bahn responded with satisfaction to the ballot result. “It is good news for everyone that we have reached a collective agreement in these challenging times. With this agreement, we are recognizing the excellent performance of our employees. Even if it demands a lot from us economically,” said DB HR Director Martin Seiler. The previous warning strikes had burdened the group with 100 million euros.
Negotiations with the GDL are still pending
However, rail strikes for travelers are not completely off the table. Because while the collective bargaining conflict with the EVG has now ended, that with the smaller train drivers’ union GDL is still to come.
The peace obligation still applies here until the end of October. In the past, however, the GDL around its boss Claus Weselsky has repeatedly had sharp collective bargaining disputes with the railways and paralyzed rail traffic on several occasions. Should the GDL achieve a better result than the EVG, the EVG cannot renegotiate. Such a clause is not part of the agreement, Loroch said.