It’s supposed to start on Sunday evening: the railway and transport union has called for a warning strike. The railway has now made an urgent application to prevent the walkout. The labor court in Frankfurt is now negotiating this.
Deutsche Bahn has filed an urgent application with the Frankfurt labor court to stop the warning strike by the railway and transport union (EVG). This step is now necessary in the interests of customers, the state-owned company said.
The court confirmed that the urgent application had been received. The hearing begins at twelve o’clock.
Bahn considers the warning strike to be disproportionate
In Deutsche Bahn’s view, with its offer of a ten percent wage increase, it has met the central precondition of the EVG and is moving towards the union. Nevertheless, the EVG wants to go on strike for 50 hours from Sunday evening. “This is disproportionate and damages customers and uninvolved third parties,” said the group.
The union has announced a nationwide strike at Deutsche Bahn and almost all competing railways. From Sunday 10:00 p.m. to Tuesday night 12:00 a.m., it should paralyze practically all traffic nationwide. An ultimatum from the EVG let the company pass without another offer on Friday afternoon.
failures already Sunday afternoon
Harbingers of the strike will be felt earlier: the train has already canceled some connections on Sunday afternoon.
The group announced that it would remove long-distance and regional trains from the timetable that would not arrive at their destination until after 10:00 p.m. Because the strike started late in the evening, it could otherwise happen that they would have to stop unplanned.
Bahn wants more than twice as long running time
The offer of the state-owned company includes a total of around 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. When it comes to the term, the group has completely different ideas than EVG: Deutsche Bahn is aiming for a term of 27 months, which is more than twice as long.
The first stage of wage increases in the tables should not take effect until March 2024. By then, the offered inflation compensation should be paid out over several months. Most recently, the railways of the EVG accommodated in anchoring the minimum wage in the tariff tables, but that is not enough for the union.
Strike researcher: strike is proportionate
According to strike researcher Alexander Gallas, the planned 50-hour strike by the railway union EVG would be the longest warning strike at Deutsche Bahn since its reform in 1994. However, warning strikes lasting one to two days are quite common in other sectors, says Gallas, a scientist at the university Kassel. “50 hours is a short and clearly defined period. But the effects are very noticeable for the population. That’s why it has a long effect.”
Gallas considers the warning strike announced by the EVG to be proportionate compared to other sectors. However, he suspects more reasons than, for example, the desire for inflation compensation and recognition for the work. The strike researcher explains that competition with the train drivers’ union GDL also played a role.
Rivalry between EVG and GDL
Because the EVG, which was formed in 2010 from the merger of the railway unions GDBA and Transnet, has long been known for its close cooperation with the railway management. This in turn promoted the rise of the GDL, which successfully discovered the means of strikes, says Gallas. For him, the fact that it could come to fruition at all has to do primarily with the restructuring since the railway reform in 1994.
The proportion of civil servants in the company has gradually been reduced on a large scale – from around 116,800 jobs in 1994 to around 14,700 in 2021. Civil servants are not allowed to go on strike – employees are. “The self-confident appearance of the GDL put the EVG under pressure,” says Gallas.