Hardly a train travels 50 hours
Ultimatum expired – rail strike is sealed
05/12/2023, 12:15 p.m
After the negotiations between the EVG and Deutsche Bahn failed on Thursday, the railway union issued an ultimatum this Friday. This now goes by without a solution. The EVG is sticking to the planned strike.
In the collective bargaining dispute at Deutsche Bahn, there are still signs of a nationwide warning strike in the coming week. An ultimatum from the EVG railway union for a new tariff offer from Deutsche Bahn expired at 12 noon without any recognizable approximation. The EVG is therefore sticking to its strike planned for Sunday evening, it announced after the ultimatum had expired.
The union had previously given the state-owned company time to adjust the offer in order to prevent a strike. Until recently, however, there was no sign of any rapprochement – it is therefore very likely that the train will be on strike for 50 hours from Sunday evening.
The EVG called on the employees to stop work from Sunday evening 10 p.m. to Tuesday evening 12 p.m. During this time, Deutsche Bahn will completely stop long-distance traffic. Even at DB Regio, hardly a train will run in the event of a strike.
On Thursday evening, both sides made short-term attempts to advance negotiations on new collective agreements. According to both sides, the railway failed in its attempt to avert the warning strike. EVG negotiator Kristian Loroch spoke on Friday night of “bogus offers” from the employer. The ultimatum followed until Friday noon.
The central sticking point is currently the minimum wage, which around 2,000 employees at DB only achieve through allowances. The EVG first wants to include the statutory minimum wage of twelve euros in the tables, so that all further negotiation results can then be calculated on the basis of this value. The railway has partially promised. However, she only wants to clarify later in the negotiations whether all collective bargaining results actually come as increases in the tables or are paid via allowances.
Overall, the EVG is negotiating for 180,000 employees at DB and a further 50,000 at other railway companies.