The train drivers’ union GDL is once again slowing down train traffic in Germany. As the union announced, the new warning strike is scheduled to begin this Thursday at 6 p.m. in freight traffic and at 10 p.m. in passenger traffic and last until Friday evening at 10 p.m. The union is calling on employees at Deutsche Bahn and some local rail operators such as Transdev to do this. The impact on travelers will be massive, with thousands of trains likely to stop. During the first warning strike in mid-November, around four fifths of long-distance connections were canceled.
The new strikes were expected after the GDL broke off talks with Deutsche Bahn at the end of November. Union leader Claus Weselsky is now accusing the company of denying employees appreciation for their work in the current wage round. He specifically mentions the required reduction in working hours to a 35-hour week. “Companies are not just ignoring the legitimate needs of their own employees,” says Weselsky. “They are also torpedoing the urgently needed measures to successfully recruit personnel and are thus putting the future of the most climate-friendly means of transport, the railway, at risk.”
The railway company reacts angrily. “The train drivers’ union is spoiling the second weekend of Advent for millions of uninvolved people,” explains Human Resources Director Martin Seiler. A strike so soon after the onset of winter and so shortly before the timetable change is irresponsible and selfish. “Instead of negotiating and facing reality, the union is striking for demands that cannot be met.”
The biggest sticking point in the so far very tough collective bargaining round is the dispute over the 35-hour week. The GDL wants the railways to introduce this, which would mean that train drivers and others would reduce their weekly working hours by three hours – with full wage compensation. The GDL argues that this relieves the burden on staff and makes the railway more attractive as an employer. The company’s management, however, describes the plans as unfeasible. The 35-hour week is too expensive, and there are not enough people on the labor market to fill the resulting gaps.
In addition to the 35-hour week, the GDL is demanding a monthly wage increase of 555 euros and an inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros for a term of the collective agreement of twelve months. The railway has offered the union a wage increase of eleven percent and an inflation compensation bonus of 2,850 euros – although for a significantly longer term of 32 months in total.
November 24, 2023, Berlin: Claus Weselsky comments on the failure of collective bargaining negotiations between Deutsche Bahn and GDL
(Photo: Christoph Soeder/dpa)
In addition, the GDL is pursuing the goal of making its collective agreements apply to more employees than before. The railway and transport union (EVG) dominates the railway, which sets collective agreements for around 180,000 employees. The GDL only has a few tens of thousands of members. Specifically, the GDL also wants to conclude collective agreements for employees in the railway’s infrastructure division. It is doubtful whether these would even be valid there.
The Collective Bargaining Act stipulates that in a sole proprietorship with several unions, only the collective agreement of the employee organization that has the most members applies. So far it has been said that this – as in most individual railway companies – is EVG. The GDL has been arguing with the railway company in court for a year and a half over how many members are registered and where. According to Deutsche Bahn, the GDL has so far only been able to negotiate primarily for train drivers and train attendants, a total of around 10,000 employees.
For GDL boss Weselsky, who became known throughout Germany for his tough course in previous collective bargaining rounds, this is most likely the last major collective bargaining round. He has announced that he will step down from the union leadership in 2024.