As of: January 21, 2024, 7:06 p.m
By: Lisa Mayerhofer
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There has been movement in the collective bargaining dispute between the train drivers' union GDL and Deutsche Bahn: the railway has submitted a new offer.
Has the next strike been averted now?
Berlin - After the collective bargaining dispute between Deutsche Bahn and the GDL train drivers' union had previously pointed to escalation, the railway has now presented a new offer.
The company offers the union, among other things, another choice model for working hours.
DB Human Resources Director Martin Seiler said on Friday in Berlin that employees could choose to work one hour less with full pay from January 1, 2026.
Anyone who decides against the reduction will receive 2.7 percent more money.
In total, the employees in this case received almost 13 percent more pay from January 1, 2026 than currently.
The election model from January 1, 2026 is aimed at train drivers and train crew.
New rail strike?
Collective bargaining conflict between Deutsche Bahn and GDL is entering the next round
The railway and the GDL have been in a collective bargaining dispute since the beginning of November.
The GDL declared the talks to have failed after the second round of negotiations and called for two warning strikes.
After a strike vote among members on indefinite strikes, work was stopped for three days in a row in January.
The three labor disputes always caused thousands of train cancellations in passenger transport and long backlogs in freight transport.
Deutsche Bahn has submitted a new offer to the GDL.
(Symbolic photo) © Christian Charisius/dpa/dpa-tmn
A week ago, GDL boss Claus Weselsky threatened to call for a longer strike again if the railway did not submit an offer that included a reduction in working hours with full wage compensation.
The collective bargaining dispute recently revolved almost exclusively around this union demand.
During the negotiations, the GDL wants to achieve a reduction in weekly working hours for shift workers from 38 to 35 hours with full wage compensation.
The railway has so far rejected this demand and described it as unfulfillable.
The company argues that with fewer working hours, more staff are needed - but that cannot be found in the tight labor market.
The GDL, in turn, sees fewer working hours as a suitable measure to make rail careers more attractive.
GDL demands: Deutsche Bahn presents a new offer
During the course of the conflict, the company offered to expand existing working time models.
Up to now, employees can decide whether they want more money, more vacation or fewer working days per week.
For example, you can reduce your working hours from 39 to 37 hours per week, but you will receive 5.7 percent less pay.
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The railway now offered to be able to reduce the weekly working hours in this mode to 35 hours.
If you want, you could also work up to 40 hours a week for a little more money.
Anyone who decides to work shorter hours will have to compromise on a collectively agreed wage increase, emphasized the railway.
The GDL did not see this as a negotiable offer.
The financial demands of the GDL recently fell completely behind the working time debate.
The GDL is demanding 555 euros more per month as well as an inflation compensation bonus if the collective agreement runs for 12 months.
The railway had offered eleven percent higher fees for a term of 32 months as well as the inflation compensation bonus.
(lma/dpa)