In the collective labor agreement negotiation dispute with Deutsche Bahn, members of the train drivers’ union GDL voted by a large majority in favor of indefinite strikes. It is said that there will be no further work stoppages until the new year.
In a strike vote, 97 percent of members voted in favor of longer labor disputes at Deutsche Bahn, as GDL boss Claus Weselsky announced on Tuesday. In addition to Deutsche Bahn, the prolonged strikes could also affect regional train operator Transdev, City-Bahn-Chemnitz and eight personnel service providers.
However, no new strike may take place until January 7, including during the Christmas period and New Year’s Eve. After that, travelers will have to prepare for longer strikes: “What will happen now will be stronger, longer and more difficult for customers,” Weselsky said.
At the end of November, the GDL broke off negotiations with Deutsche Bahn because, according to the GDL, the latter did not want to discuss, among other things, shortening working hours with full wage compensation. The union has already paralyzed large parts of traffic with two warning strikes at Deutsche Bahn.
Shortening working hours is the biggest point of contention
The biggest point of contention is the GDL’s demand for a reduction in working hours from 38 to 35 hours per week for shift workers with full wage compensation. She also demands 555 euros more per month and an inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros. At the start of the talks, the railway offered eleven percent more wages with a term of the collective labor agreement of 32 months. The GDL rejected this as completely inadequate.
The railways, in turn, oppose the requested reduction in working hours due to the labor shortage. Meeting the GDL requirement would require hiring 10,000 new employees, which is impossible in the current labor market, the group argues.
An extension of the GDL collective labor agreement to other sectors is also rejected. The core area of the GDL is drivers and train crews. According to Deutsche Bahn, the GDL negotiates in this way for a total of 10,000 employees.
This is also legally established because the GDL does not have a majority in other business units. The larger Railway and Transport Union (EVG) negotiated this.
Source: Krone
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