DCavaliers and the longest to date strike For railway customers: The train drivers union GDL has called for a five-day strike on Deutsche Bahn’s passenger transport from 2am this Thursday to Tuesday morning next week. In terms of freight, the strike will begin this Wednesday.
The chairman of the union, Klaus Wesselski, said in Frankfurt am Main on Monday: “This is one of the longest industrial actions we have undertaken, and it is purposeful.” “Given the blocking attitude of the DB manager, We don’t think we are ready or willing to carry out shorter industrial actions here.”
this German Engine Drivers Union (GDL) advocates providing employees with higher salaries and better working conditions. GDL also hopes to score points in the competition with the larger of the two railway unions, the Railway and Transportation Union (EVG).
From the perspective of the passenger association Pro Bahn, GDL has overblown the new announcement. “There are certain rights in the Basic Law, but I have to be very careful,” the honorary chairman of the association Karl-Peter Nauman said on Monday. “I don’t think this is the case anymore.” With the wave of strikes, GDL is damaging the reputation of the railway and the expected improvement in traffic. “I know enough people who say: If things continue like this, then train travel is like this.”
“To put it mildly, we miss the hips”
Labor disputes will affect hundreds of thousands of commuters and countless passengers. Holidays are coming, and there are still school holidays in several federal states.
The most recent strike ended on Wednesday night last week. The railway responded with an emergency schedule. In long-distance traffic, up to 30% of the quotation can be maintained, and in regional traffic including S-Bahn, the average is 40%. The day after the last strike, traffic basically returned to normal.
At the same time, Deutsche Bahn is trying to mitigate the consequences of the announced five-day strike. As the company announced on Monday, passengers can use their tickets flexibly during the strike and advance or postpone their travel to September 17. You can also refund.
Since then, there has been no settlement with management in collective bargaining disputes. In interviews over the past few days, railway boss Richard Lutz has called on the union to return to the negotiating table. GDL Chairman Weselski At the same time, he accused the division of labor with false statements.
Wesselski replied on Monday that the railway was launching a war on its own employees and was unable to win.About speech Lutz He said: “To say the least, we miss what the CEO said.”
The labor disputes that broke out again on Monday night described Bahn’s head of personnel as “completely excessive.” The strike was “unjustified.” “GDL executives are to expand their power-at the expense of passengers and the economy,” Martin Seller said. The only difference between the two is the terminology. The board asked GDL to return to the negotiating table.
The Corona Premium Controversy
The railway hopes to increase wages and salaries by 3.2% as required by GDL. However, when the individual level should take effect and how long the new collective agreement should apply is controversial.
The railway also provided this year’s corona bonus, but did not specify. GDL requires 600 euros. There is also the struggle over company pensions; here the two sides have not yet moved towards each other.
The union hopes to expand its influence in the railway company. Before this round of collective bargaining, the last time she worked for Deutsche Bahn was in 2014 and 2015. Therefore, she also managed to negotiate a framework tariff for the train crew. Now it is necessary to formulate vehicle maintenance fees, network operation fees, line maintenance fees, and framework conditions for trainees.
However, this usually represents EVG, which is why Deutsche Bahn refused to do so. Because according to the collective bargaining law, it applies to the contract of the trade union with the most members in the respective company.
