Monday, June 7th, 2021
“GDL relies on confrontation”
In the midst of the easing of travel, there is a threat of a rail strike
In the evening it could be decided whether the Deutsche Bahn threatens strikes. Even in the fourth round of collective bargaining, the group cannot come to an agreement with the union representatives. Bahn Personnel Director Martin Seiler is still ready to talk, but the tone is rough, allegations are getting louder.
The negotiations between Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the union of German train drivers (GDL) also failed in the fourth round of wages. After the round of negotiations, DB accused the GDL of relying on “confrontation at any price”. In the fourth round of negotiations, DB said it had offered a degree at the level of the public service that took into account the “special situation of the railways due to the pandemic”. However, the management of the GDL has not shown itself ready to “talk about existing leeway and solutions”, criticized the DB. The group, however, is still ready to negotiate.
“Today has shown that the union leaders are primarily concerned with confrontation and the expansion of their area of responsibility,” criticized DB Human Resources Director Martin Seiler. The GDL management consciously accepts damage for customers and DB – “and that in the midst of the rising desire to travel after the corona lockdown”.
Dispute also harms a battered railway
A warning strike would not only hit customers, but also the financially troubled group at an inopportune moment. After the relaxation of the corona rules, the state-owned company’s business is picking up speed again. In regional traffic you drive the full range, in long-distance traffic almost 100 percent, said Seiler. “Bookings are picking up again, that’s nice.” It is all the more important that the Union of German Locomotive Drivers (GDL) make its contribution in solidarity.
The contracting parties in the public service agreed in autumn on wage and salary increases of 3.2 percent over a period of 28 months. Due to the slump in traffic, however, special rules apply at airports with delayed tariff increases, reduced working hours and a suspension of performance-related pay. The railway makes billions in losses. In September she put together a collective bargaining package with her largest union, the rail and transport union. From the beginning of 2022, employees will receive 1.5 percent more money. No redundancies for operational reasons are possible until the end of 2023.
The DB asked the GDL to return to the negotiating table. “We want to continue negotiating a balanced and solidarity-based collective bargaining package,” explained Seiler. “After more than a year in the pandemic, common sense is required instead of strikes”. A press spokesman for the GDL said that the union leadership would meet in the evening to discuss the next steps. It is possible that warning strikes will then be decided.
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