Even after the warning strike cancellation, there are open questions in the wage dispute at the railway. © Daniel Reinhardt/dpa
Good news for rail passengers: The 50-hour warning strike has been cancelled. Nevertheless, not every train will run. Questions and answers on the continuing wage dispute and its consequences.
Berlin - The signs were already pointing to a warning strike and standstill on the railways, many travel plans have already been rebuilt or completely buried. But on Saturday, the big surprise: The labor dispute was averted with a settlement before the labor court in Frankfurt am Main.
The wage dispute with the railway and transport union (EVG) has not yet been resolved, and further warning strikes are possible - but not on Monday and Tuesday. An overview of the most pressing questions:
Is rail traffic running according to schedule?
No, it won't happen that quickly. "In long-distance traffic, DB wants to quickly ramp up rail traffic again at the start of the week. On Sunday evening, there may be individual train cancellations," the group announced. On Monday, around two-thirds of the planned long-distance trains would run, and on Tuesday all of them would run again. "There will also be regional restrictions and train cancellations in DB's regional services," it said.
For journeys between Sunday and Tuesday, the train connection will be lifted in order to allow flexible use of tickets during this period. Alternatively, tickets for these travel days could be refunded free of charge.
The EVG has only cancelled the warning strike at Deutsche Bahn. Some other railway companies will continue to be on strike for 50 hours. In Bavaria, for example, the Bayerische Oberlandbahn (BOB), the Bayerische Regiobahn (BRB) and the Meridian, as the EVG announced. The EVG is currently negotiating new collective bargaining agreements with dozens of railway companies in parallel, many of which are as stalled as those with DB.
Has the danger of strikes been averted in principle?
For the time being, yes, but not in principle. The wage dispute between the EVG and the railway companies has not been resolved with Saturday's decision. EVG has agreed with Deutsche Bahn to continue negotiations quickly. However, if these talks do not lead to results, the union wants to call for warning strikes again.
Is there already a hearing date?
The negotiators of EVG and DB want to meet again in Fulda from 23 May. Initially, nothing was known about possible earlier meetings over the weekend.
How did the Frankfurt Labour Court reach the settlement?
In recent days, the EVG has always emphasized that it will refrain from warning strikes if Deutsche Bahn meets the union's demand for the minimum wage. According to DB, it has done so in recent days in letters to and talks with the union. However, the EVG criticized loopholes that the employer had left itself - and announced the 50-hour warning strike from Sunday evening.
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According to dpa information, labor judge Lara Sherman also saw the EVG requirements as fulfilled. In any case, the railway did not have to make any further concessions in order to reach the settlement.
What exactly is this minimum wage debate all about?
About 2000,12 employees at DB currently receive the statutory minimum wage of 12 euros only through allowances. The EDC has made it a condition for all further negotiations that this minimum wage is first included in the collective bargaining tables. In doing so, it wants to ensure that these <> euros per hour form the basis for all further negotiation results.
Initially, the railway did not want to meet any preconditions before the actual negotiations. In the meantime, however, it has promised to include the minimum wage in advance in the tariff tables. Finally, there was a dispute about whether future negotiation results should also be written one-to-one in the tables for the lowest wage groups or paid out differently, for example by means of allowances. At this point, the railway argues that otherwise the industry-standard wage, for example for security and cleaning staff, would be far exceeded.
According to dpa information, the railway did not have to make any concessions in court at this point. However, it was emphasized and stated that future negotiation results will also apply in full to employees in the minimum wage sector - the exact design is to be negotiated.
On what points do Deutsche Bahn and EVG still disagree?
Actually, in all of them. Particular focus is placed on the amount of the wage increase, the timing of the wage increase and the term of the collective agreement. The EVG is demanding 650 euros more wages per month for employees, and an increase of 12 percent for upper incomes, all over a period of 12 months. The railway has recently promised tax-free and duty-free one-off payments of a total of 2850 euros as well as in stages increases of 10 percent for the lower and middle and 8 percent for the upper income groups. The term is expected to be 27 months.
The first wage increase in the collective bargaining tables is planned for March 2024 in the DB offer - which is too late for the union. It also insists on fixed amounts instead of percentage increases. Dpa