Status: 24.10.2023, 17:13 PM
By: Anne Hund
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Passengers will soon have to prepare for possible strikes in rail transport again. The reason for this is the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations between Deutsche Bahn and GDL.
For the weeks and months from November, Deutsche Bahn passengers will have to prepare for possible strikes again - possibly also at Christmas, as the German Press Agency reported on Friday (dpa, 13 October). The reason for this is the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations between Deutsche Bahn and the German Locomotive Drivers' Union (GDL). GDL leader Claus Weselsky does not want to dwell on warning strikes for long and instead let the members vote quickly on indefinite strikes. "Why should I make a small fuss in any way if I know that it has no effect on the other side?" said Weselsky of the dpa. "So there is a certain probability that there will be either no warning strike or only one or two." In order to have an effect, longer industrial action is needed, for which the GDL must legally protect itself, Weselsky emphasized, according to dpa. The GDL is currently discussing whether a ballot is possible before the first hearing date on 9 November.
GDL boss relies on quick ballot – no "Christmas truce"
Weselsky does not rule out the Christmas holidays for a labor dispute, as dpa also reported. Together with the negotiation dates, the railway had also proposed a "Christmas truce" to the GDL, Weselsky said. "We rejected that because we don't know how things will develop and because we don't know how much negotiations we're going to have until then."
Train drivers' union also demands higher wages
The GDL already announced its demands at the end of June. Among other things, she wants at least 555 euros more per month as well as an inflation compensation bonus. According to dpa, however, the sticking point of the negotiations is likely to be above all the demand for a reduction in weekly working hours from 38 to 35 hours for shift workers.
Collective bargaining agreement: How much can you earn as a train driver?
What about the earning potential in the profession of train driver? Employees at Deutsche Bahn are remunerated according to a collective agreement, as the job portal Stepstone describes in general on its website. "However, different tariffs apply to the 300 individual companies of the DB Group, which are negotiated with the Railway and Transport Union (EVG) on the one hand and with the competing train drivers' union (GDL) on the other." Under the latter collective agreement, train drivers are divided 'into four different pay groups'. In addition to the exact job, for example shunting or staging trips, professional experience also plays a role for them, Stepstone informs and gives a few examples: "Locomotive drivers with less than five years of professional experience, for example, receive around 2,614 euros gross per month in the lowest pay group, while just under 3,185 euros gross per month are paid in the highest pay group."
The train drivers' union wants higher wages. (Archive photo) © Oliver Berg/dpa
What is the training salary of train drivers?
Train drivers work in railway companies such as Deutsche Bahn (DB) or in rail-bound freight transport companies, as the job description in Stepstone.de is generally called. During the three-year apprenticeship, the salary increases in three steps. "At Deutsche Bahn, apprentices in their first year of apprenticeship receive a gross monthly salary of just under 1,019 euros. In the second year of training, they earn around 1,088 euros gross and in the third year of training, 1,157 euros gross," the job portal informs.
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What influence does professional experience have on the salary of train drivers?
Professional experience often plays a decisive role when it comes to the amount of the salary, the job portal describes in general. The situation is no different for train drivers. In particular, professional experience is taken into account in collective agreements, because growing experience usually goes hand in hand with different or more complex tasks and a greater area of responsibility. "Train drivers of a DB company with a GDL contract, for example, receive a monthly gross salary of around 3,185 euros in the highest pay group if they have less than five years of professional experience. After ten to 15 years of service, they earn 3,365 euros and after 20 to 25 years, 3,546 euros."