The chairman of the rail union EVG and deputy chairman of the supervisory board of Deutsche Bahn AG, Klaus-Dieter Hommel, does not expect a rapid economic recovery of the group.
Munich -
The chairman of the railway and transport union (EVG), Klaus-Dieter Hommel, has warned politicians against intervening in the bitter tariff conflict at the railway. In order to come to an agreement, GDL boss Claus Weselsky hopes "apparently also on the influence of politics on the railways". He could only warn politicians “but not to interfere in tariff matters. That will definitely not be possible with us, ”said Hommel in an interview with
Merkur.de
.
At the same time, Hommel accused the GDL of disrupting the operational peace on the railway "right down to the break rooms" with its aggressive approach to recruiting members.
In view of countless complaints from railway employees about the GDL, the EVG has now set up a hotline.
There, "many colleagues reported daily on sometimes unbearable incidents such as massive insults and death threats," said Hommel to the online portal.
Deutsche Bahn: EVG boss does not expect a rapid economic recovery of the group
With regard to the economic development of Deutsche Bahn AG, Hommel was surprisingly cautious.
The economic recovery of the company will take longer than expected, said Hommel, who is also the deputy chairman of the supervisory board of Deutsche Bahn AG.
He hoped for the company and the employees that the record minus from last year with a loss of 5.7 billion euros will not be exceeded, said Hommel.
But it is already clear "that we have to be prepared for another loss in the billions in the current year".
In the first half of 2021, the railway had made a net loss of 1.4 billion euros.
In view of the simmering collective bargaining dispute and new strikes since Saturday, the Group's economic situation could worsen over the course of the year.
Even in the medium term, the Group's deputy chief supervisor does not expect any rapid improvement.
In addition to the burdens from the longer-than-expected corona pandemic, "the consequences of the most recent flood disaster" would now also be added.
All of this “is likely to delay the economic recovery considerably”.
Against this background, “all run-up curves that were the basis for medium-term planning are wasted”.
Deutsche Bahn: "At least five years until the pre-Corona level"
Until Deutsche Bahn economically reaches the pre-Corona level again, the company will "need at least another five years," Hommel told
Merkur.de
. But this, too, “will only be possible if the company uses the time to develop new, customer-friendly business models.” For example, the Bahn's board of directors would have to find solutions for the growing use of home offices, “otherwise the trains will no longer work full, ”warned Hommel.
