Concern about safety
EVG threatens to shut down railways for the European Football Championship
May 2, 2024, 9:01 a.m
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The number of registered attacks on railway employees is increasing. In view of the upcoming European Football Championship, where rival crowds of fans will probably also get on the train, the EVG is called into action. The union warns of consequences.
According to a survey by the Railway and Transport Company (EVG), almost 40 percent of service staff in the rail industry feel unsafe in their everyday jobs. The EVG therefore calls on the railway companies and politicians to ensure more safety and warns of consequences if they do not. If the security situation does not improve before the European Football Championship, “we will ensure that the trains do not run,” said EVG board member Kristian Loroch to the “Tagesspiegel”. The employees could then collectively reduce overtime during the tournament, warned Loroch.
In an EVG online survey, almost 4,000 train attendants, station service staff and hotline employees commented on their experiences of violence. The survey, which was carried out by the company Mauss Research, is available to the “Tagesspiegel”. 64 percent of those surveyed stated that they had suffered violence or hostility in the past twelve months. During their working life, 82 percent have been the victim of a verbal or physical attack. 36 percent of employees currently feel unsafe while carrying out their jobs. For 63 percent, their sense of security has decreased over the past five years.
The number of recorded attacks has increased significantly over the past decade, the report continued. For 2023, Deutsche Bahn reported more than 3,100 attacks against its employees, in 2014 there were only 1,500. In regional transport, train attendants should no longer be sent off alone, demands Loroch. “Double striping must become standard.” Accordingly, the states responsible for local transport would have to order more staff.
Ralf Damde, the head of DB Regio’s general works council, is demanding ad hoc measures from the railway for the European Championships. “We demand personnel planning based on the danger level caused by rival crowds of fans in buses and trains,” Damde told the “Tagesspiegel”. A double staffing and sufficient security personnel are necessary for the months of June and July 2024. “Before our people are attacked, we refuse to deploy personnel in obvious danger situations.”