Passengers in rail traffic can breathe a sigh of relief for the time being: After a confidential meeting with Deutsche Bahn in the current wage round, the railway and transport union (EVG) initially announced no further warning strikes on Wednesday. Instead, both sides announced in the afternoon after the talks that the round of negotiations initially scheduled for two days next week in Fulda would be extended by one day. The negotiations “start on Tuesday and are scheduled to last up to and including Thursday,” it said unanimously.
This could indicate that the company and the union in Fulda are aiming for a deal. It is the last scheduled round of negotiations in the current collective bargaining dispute. There were initially no indications that the EVG was planning further warning strikes by then. If the negotiations do not lead to a result, this is likely to change again quickly. “If we don’t get any further at the negotiating table, we’ll have to go on strike,” Cosima Ingenschay, head of collective bargaining, told ZDF’s “Morgenmagazin” on Wednesday.
The confidential talks on Wednesday in Frankfurt served to prepare for the round of negotiations, both sides said. Concrete content of the meeting was not initially known afterwards.
Tariff agreement could point the way
This week there was movement in the collective bargaining dispute after the EVG canceled a 50-hour warning strike planned at the beginning of the week. The union had previously reached a settlement with the railways, mediated by the Frankfurt Labor Court, on the sticking point of the minimum wage. The topic was seen as a hurdle for entering into concrete wage negotiations.
The EVG wants to push through 650 euros more per month or 12 percent for upper income earners at Deutsche Bahn and dozens of other railway companies, with a term of 12 months. In addition to an inflation compensation premium, Deutsche Bahn has so far promised percentage increases of a total of 10 percent for lower and middle incomers and 8 percent for upper income earners. The group plans a term of 27 months.
A possible conclusion with the railway would also point the way for the tariff talks with the other railway companies. As long as tariff compromises are not found there as well, EVG warning strikes remain possible. Without Deutsche Bahn, however, these would not have such far-reaching effects.
However, warning strikes in air traffic have almost been averted this year. After the public service, a collective agreement has now also been agreed for the approximately 25,000 employees at the aviation security checks. According to the Verdi union and the employers’ association BDLS, higher supplements for night and public holiday work as well as new types of supplements for executives were agreed.
