After the complicated start of negotiations between Deutsche Bahn and the railway and transport union (EVG), the group promised a tariff offer. The German Press Agency learned this from Bahn circles. Accordingly, the company has invited the union by letter for next week Tuesday and Wednesday to continue the collective bargaining in Berlin.
“For the further course of the negotiations, in particular the derivation of an offer, we consider it absolutely sensible and necessary to enter into the substantive discussion of the demands, positions and respective priorities in the next round of negotiations,” says the letter, which the Deutsche Presse- agency is available.
“In this context, we are prepared and ready to make you an overall offer to solve the collective bargaining round at the second meeting.” The union is asked for feedback as to whether it is prepared “to conduct collective bargaining within the negotiating committee accordingly”.
At least 650 euros more wages demanded
The first round of negotiations was interrupted a week ago after just two hours. The EVG did not want to negotiate further without an offer from the employer. In the negotiations, the union is demanding at least 650 euros more wages for 180,000 employees, and they want to achieve an increase of twelve percent for the higher wages. The term should be twelve months. In addition, she calls for some structural changes in the collective agreements.
Deutsche Bahn rated the demands as clearly too high and the interruption in negotiations after only two hours as “completely unnecessary”. DB HR director Martin Seiler put the total volume of EVG claims at 25 percent – that would correspond to around 2.5 billion euros per year.
Even before the collective bargaining began, the EVG had threatened that without an offer from the employer it would consider a warning strike in the first round of negotiations. The union is negotiating in parallel with 50 other companies in the industry, their demands are always the same.
Warning strikes possible
After the negotiations with DB last week, the union announced that it would take stock after the first round with all 50 companies at the end of March and then decide on further steps – such as warning strikes. At the same time, she had emphasized that companies that submit an offer would no longer have to face the threat of a strike.
According to the DB letter, negotiations in the coming week are to begin on Tuesday at 4 p.m. The Nordbahnhof in Berlin is mentioned as the place of negotiation.
