“We could paralyze the railway for weeks” – with this statement the EVG negotiator builds up pressure. She describes how the union could soon expand warning strikes and blames Deutsche Bahn.
The railway and transport union (EVG) has threatened a massive expansion of warning strikes at Deutsche Bahn. “The next strikes will last longer,” EVG negotiator Cosima Ingenschay told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Apparently, the effects of the work stoppages would have to be more massive “so that it hurts the employer”.
As possible scenarios, Ingenschay named changing warning strikes from different professional groups within the railway company or staggered actions in different regions. “The new strikes could have an impact for several days,” she told the newspaper. “We could paralyze the railway for weeks.” The railway system is “so fragile that if we take out a few interlockings, everything collapses”.
“We could paralyze the railway for weeks,” says EVG negotiator Cosima Ingenschay.
“The railway provokes the new strikes”
At the same time, Ingenschay emphasized: “We want to avoid strikes if possible. We don’t want to hit the travelers at all.” In her view, the previous two warning strikes should have been enough to get a negotiable wage offer from the group. “But Deutsche Bahn is apparently not interested in serious negotiations. HR Director Martin Seiler left on Wednesday instead of making a serious offer,” said the EVG negotiator, referring to the third round of negotiations, which ended without result on Wednesday.
The railway ignores the preconditions of the union. Among other things, the railways must agree in advance to set the statutory minimum wage of twelve euros in the collective agreement. “It is the railways that are provoking the new strikes,” added Ingenschay.
Bahn speaks of the highest offer in its history
However, both silks accuse each other of not being willing to negotiate. Bahn HR Director Seiler described the group’s offer on Wednesday as the highest in the history of Deutsche Bahn. The offer includes ten percent more wages for lower and middle incomes, eight percent more money for higher incomes and an additional 2850 euros inflation compensation premium for everyone. The fact that the group had declared the round of talks to be over on Wednesday was justified by the union’s refusal to negotiate the new offer from Deutsche Bahn.
The EVG demands twelve percent more wages, but at least 650 euros more per month. The union negotiates for around 230,000 employees at around 50 train and bus companies. Last Friday, she largely paralyzed rail traffic throughout Germany with an eight-hour warning strike. The next negotiation date at the railway is scheduled for the end of May.