Status: 08/22/2021 5:47 p.m.
Train travelers will have to be prepared for train cancellations and delays from tomorrow. The GDL rejected Deutsche Bahn’s offer to talk about a corona bonus as too “vague”. The strikes should take place as planned.
The union of German train drivers (GDL) has rejected the offer of Deutsche Bahn (DB) to negotiate a corona bonus as a “sham offer”. The GDL will not evaluate an alleged, but only a specific offer, she announced in Frankfurt am Main. The aim of the offer is merely to “play with the feelings of those traveling by train who hope to enter the negotiations,” criticized the GDL. In truth, the railway board “did not move a millimeter”.
It remains that from Monday the passenger traffic will be on strike. “Deutsche Bahn remains true to its motto of deceiving, tricking and filling pockets,” said GDL boss Claus Weselsky. “The present offer is just another smoke candle and another attempt to fool the public.” The railway does not respond to the core demands of the GDL.
Corona premium was a requirement of the GDL
Deutsche Bahn had previously offered the train drivers a corona bonus and, in return, demanded an end to the strikes. “We do not come to the negotiating table empty-handed,” said Martin Seiler, Chief Human Resources Officer, speaking of a strong signal. According to Bahn, the money should be paid out for 2021. Seiler did not name an amount. “This means that there can be no longer any reason to refuse to return to the negotiating table,” he added. “Now it’s just up to the GDL.”
The union had asked for a corona bonus of 600 euros. The railway does not want to pay the 3.2 percent wage increase demanded by the union immediately, but in two steps: 1.5 percent on January 1, 2022 and 1.7 percent on March 1, 2023, with a term until the end of June 2024.
Holidays in ten federal states
After a first strike in mid-August, the new strike by GDL members began on Saturday afternoon – initially with the focus on freight traffic. In the coming night, it will now also be extended to passenger traffic and will continue until Wednesday. As a result, millions of passengers have to prepare for train cancellations and delays at the beginning of the week. The strike also hits travelers, as there are still summer holidays in ten federal states.