Negotiations are deadlocked in the collective bargaining dispute at Deutsche Bahn. The EVG union rejected a new offer from the group in the third round of talks in Fulda, as negotiator Kristian Loroch announced. The proposal is non-negotiable in terms of amount and duration. The railway needs to improve. Another offer was no longer to be expected.
Deutsche Bahn had initially promised a gradual, tax- and duty-free inflation compensation premium totaling 2,850 euros. The first tranche of 1250 euros should flow immediately after the end of the negotiations. “After that, 200 euros for eight months,” said HR Director Martin Seiler.
From March 1st next year there will be 5 percent more for the lower and middle wage groups and 4 percent for the upper ones. Another 5 or 4 percent will follow in August. Overall, the contract would have a term of 27 months.
EVG: No basis for negotiations
“It’s a huge package that is based on the volume of the public service,” argued Seiler. In the collective bargaining dispute in the public sector, the bargaining parties also agreed on a gradual inflation compensation premium and then at least 340 euros gross more for each employee.
But the EVG sees no basis for negotiations in the railway proposal. The table-effective increases from the coming year mean a maximum of 150 euros more per month for the own proposed term of one year, emphasized Loroch. However, this calculation does not take into account the longer term proposed by Deutsche Bahn and also ignores the tax-free one-off payments. “A 27-month term is also unacceptable for us,” it said.
The union demands 650 euros more or twelve percent for the upper income earners over a period of one year.
What’s next?
Another sticking point was the minimum wage. The topic has not been clarified, said Loroch. A few thousand employees only receive this from the company in the form of bonuses.
Even before the substantive tariff talks, the EVG wants to set the statutory minimum wage of 12 euros per hour in the tariff tables. The railways, in turn, reiterated their proposal for a minimum wage of 13 euros, which should appear in the tables from August 2024. The union strictly rejects this.
Both tariff groups had withdrawn for internal talks, it said. The EVG wants the railway to improve the offer. Everyone would also be available for talks on Wednesday, said Bahn and EVG. Developments during the night were initially not to be expected. If the talks are interrupted without result, there is a risk of further warning strikes. The union had paralyzed long-distance and regional transport for a few hours on Friday. Loroch indicated that further escalations are conceivable.
