DIE Train Drivers Union GDL wants to aggravate labor disputes on the railway, and may go on strike over the weekend. According to a preliminary report on Tuesday, the GDL boss of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Claus Weselsky, stated: “We will expand the strike.” Deutsche Bahn can only prevent this through rapid new tariff offers. It happened. However, the head of the train drivers’ union does not think so. “I don’t want managers to lie down and say:’We have always wanted to realize Weselsky’s wishes.'”
According to the report, the GDL boss also made it clear that the new strike will last longer than last week’s 48-hour passenger strike. “The longer we go on strike, the stronger the public’s response. If management thinks they can withstand the frustration of the citizens better than employees, then I tell them: they miscalculated,” warned Weselski.
The next one might also be a vacationer Labor dispute Hit harder. Although GDL avoided weekend trips and let the train run again during the first strike last week, the GDL boss no longer wanted to guarantee this. “I can’t rule out the possibility of a weekend strike,” Wesselski said. “The longer the strike, the more difficult it is to avoid the weekend.”
“A short time” until the next strike
On Tuesday, representatives of train drivers again threatened labor disputes at a rally in front of the Berlin Railway Tower. “You know, if the management supported by the owners continues to act like this, we must use this last resort again,” GDL Chairman Claus Weselsky told the 75 union members who have registered with the police Shouted. However, he failed to make an appointment.
The union announced last week that after the rally, there will be “only a short time” before the next strike. However, Weselsky assured that passengers could prepare for a strike longer than the first time. It took only 15 hours from the announcement to the two-day strike last week. The GDL boss also stated that the next strike may last longer, including a weekend.
Wesselski refuses to arbitrate
GDL will not participate in collective agreements like it does at airports, saying Weselski Refer to the current quotation of the railway. He said that the offer made by Deutsche Bahn “cannot be made with us.” If the organization insists on this position, “then we will make sure that the lights and pockets are on.” Given the increase in inflation, the completion of public services is also a narrow result.
Weselsky also rejected the arbitration proposed by Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU): “What happened here cannot be arbitrated.” Weselsky also accused the management of wanting to reduce the company’s pension. The railway rejected this. The union called for an increase in wages and a new crown bonus of 600 euros as early as 2021. So far, Deutsche Bahn has rejected both; she does not want to pay more money before 2022. The company has repeatedly called GDL back to the negotiating table.
Disputes between unions
GDL’s strike happened on The background of the ongoing conflict between the train drivers’ union and the larger EVG railway workers’ union replace. The “Uniform Collective Bargaining Law” has obviously not changed much in these areas. Strikes on higher wages, corona premiums, and the duration of collective agreements are ultimately GDL’s battle for survival. With this set of rules, the federal legislature hopes to split the union camp and allow smaller special unions (such as GDL) to gain more and more power.
According to its own information, GDL represents the interests of 37,000 members across Germany, of which 20,000 should be train drivers and train staff. However, EVG, with 184,000 members, is clearly a larger union. The railway has promised that the two unions will co-exist in the group. However, the law provides for the expulsion of GDL to a certain extent.
It comes into effect when multiple collective agreements for the same group of employees conflict within the company and unions cannot reach agreement. In such conflict situations, collective agreements with trade unions with a larger number of members will apply. According to the law, unsuccessful unions can only obtain the same collective agreement.
The Federal Constitutional Court passed a unified collective bargaining law, which is very controversial among small trade unions. This has cleared the way for most societies. DBB Beamtenbund, GDL also belonged to a separate trade union, criticizing the decision at the time was difficult to understand. The then chairman Klaus Dauderstädt talked about the “compulsory tariff unit”. GDL boss Claus Weselsky is still one of DBB’s Federal Vice-Chairmen.
Therefore, DBB expressed its solidarity with the train drivers union and participated in the rally on Tuesday. “DBB is a community based on solidarity. If one of our member unions is forced to go on strike, as GDL is now on strike by DB management, then we will stand together,” said Ulrich Silberbach, its federal chairman. The public service staff expressed their solidarity with the train driver.
