Deutsche Bahn (DB) train drivers have obtained the transition to a 35-hour week without loss of income, according to a compromise sealed with the German railway company following a historic social conflict.
The reduction in weekly working time, currently 38 hours, will be done in four stages until 2029 for those who wish it, detailed Tuesday the German public railway operator, engaged for more than four months in a standoff with the GDL union.
Employees retain flexibility since they will be able to choose to work up to
“40 hours per week”
, with each additional hour being paid with an increase of 2.7%.
This agreement puts an end to one of the harshest and costliest social conflicts faced by German rail in recent years, in a context of soaring inflation in Germany which has hardened negotiations within companies .
It will prevent any new railway strikes for at least a year, while DB is already going through a serious operational and financial crisis.
“Great relief”
“The confrontation was tough, but we reached an intelligent compromise
,” commented Martin Seiler, director of human resources at the DB.
The GDL union, which represents around 20,000 train drivers out of around 200,000 employees of the railway company, had made the reduction of working hours a non-negotiable condition.
Since the end of 2023, this union has organized a series of six strikes, some lasting several days in a row, causing massive disruptions to passenger and freight traffic.
Employees also obtained an inflation bonus of 2,850 euros, as well as a gradual increase in their salary of 420 euros per month next year, according to DB.
This agreement makes it possible to postpone any new strike by train drivers until March 2026. Last summer, the company's other categories of staff, represented by the EVG union, obtained salary increases without reduction in working time. work.
This first agreement runs until April 2025 and prevents work stoppages during this period.
“We regret that our strikes have affected travelers
,” Claus Weselsky, the inflexible boss of the GDL, declared on Tuesday.
“This is a great relief for passengers, even if it would have been possible to reach an agreement without so many strikes
,” commented the Pro Bahn users association.
Financial charge
In 2023 alone, strikes cost DB €200 million, which suffered an annual loss of €2.3 billion at a time when the state-owned group must spend massively to renovate and expand its network after years of underinvestment.
The compromise with the GDL
“is financially difficult”
, admitted Martin Seiler.
In addition, like the entire German economy, DB is facing a labor shortage, a
“major risk”
it says for maintaining its service.
For the past year, Germany has been facing an increase in conflicts in different professional sectors, from supermarkets to services, undermining its tradition of social dialogue and co-management between employers and staff representatives.
Nominal wages increased by 6.0% on average in 2023 over one year, an increase of 0.1% in real wages, according to the German statistics office Destatis.
The reduction in working hours, or even the move to a four-day week, is a demand that is catching on in many sectors.
German employers are unfavorable, while the country is going through a crisis in the industrial sector which led to a decline in gross domestic product (GDP) of 0.3% last year.
The airline Lufthansa is continuing salary negotiations with its ground staff and cabin attendants.
Another social conflict concerns airport security personnel, who have organized several walkouts since January.
To the point that certain political leaders have called for a tightening of the right to strike, already very regulated in Germany, a country where the number of days of work stoppages is one of the lowest in Europe.