Status: 07.01.2024, 20:59 PM
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GDL members during a rally: So far, there has been no agreement in the wage dispute with Deutsche Bahn. © Soeren Stache/dpa
Just in time for the end of the so-called Christmas truce, the train drivers' union is revealing its plans: The next strike will begin on Wednesday morning and will last until Friday. The railway defends itself and goes to the labour court.
Berlin - A difficult week is ahead for Deutsche Bahn passengers: The train drivers' union GDL with its boss Claus Weselsky wants to strike the company nationwide from Wednesday to Friday. The wage dispute has thus reached the next level of escalation - and the state-owned company reacted promptly: Deutsche Bahn announced an urgent application to the labor court in Frankfurt to stop the work stoppage by means of a preliminary injunction.
Unless the strike is stopped by the courts or the parties agree on further talks, it coincides with the farmers' week of action, who want to obstruct traffic with their tractors in many places from Monday. The week of protest and the GDL strike have nothing to do with each other in terms of content. These are completely different goals. The farmers' association and the GDL have not announced any cooperation, so it is likely to be a coincidental overlap in time.
"DB Group did not use the Christmas truce to counteract industrial action with a negotiable offer," the GDL announced, just in time for the end of the so-called Christmas truce. The union has already twice paralyzed large parts of rail traffic in Germany with warning strikes - now a strike lasting several days follows. Weselsky had obtained the backing of the members by means of a ballot. Theoretically, he could also call for much longer work stoppages.
Expected impact
During the two GDL warning strikes last year, Deutsche Bahn had to cancel around 80 percent of its long-distance services. The impact on regional transport varied greatly from region to region. In some federal states, almost no trains were running.
The strike call from Wednesday, 2:00 a.m., to Friday, 18:00 p.m., is aimed nationwide at all GDL members who work for Deutsche Bahn as well as for the competitor Transdev and City-Bahn Chemnitz. Unless there is a fundamental difference in strike participation, effects similar to those of the two warning strikes are to be expected. Even though the strike ends at 18:00 p.m. on Friday, this day is likely to be under the influence of the strike until late in the evening. In freight transport, the strike is scheduled to begin on Tuesday at 18:00 p.m.
Main topics
A sticking point in the deadlocked wage dispute is the GDL's demand for a reduction in the weekly working time for shift workers from 38 to 35 hours with full pay. Deutsche Bahn considers this to be unachievable, also due to the shortage of skilled workers. If shift workers work less, more staff will be needed in the foreseeable future - but this is not to be found on the labour market, argues the railway. The union, on the other hand, wants to make the professions at the railways more attractive by reducing weekly working hours.
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On Friday, the company had proposed to expand existing choice models for working hours. Until now, employees have been able to decide whether they want more money, more vacation or fewer weekly working days. For example, they can reduce their weekly hours from 39 to 37, but receive 5.7 percent less pay. Deutsche Bahn offers to reduce the weekly working time in this mode to 35 hours. If you want, you could also work up to 40 hours a week for a little more money. Those who opt for shorter working hours will have to make concessions to a collectively agreed wage increase, Deutsche Bahn emphasized. The company rejects the full salary demanded by the GDL.
The GDL is also demanding 555 euros more per month for employees - with a term of one year of the collective agreement. Deutsche Bahn has so far offered an eleven percent increase over a period of 32 months.
Temporary agency also causes controversy
With the announced urgent application against the strike plans, Deutsche Bahn is taking legal action against the GDL for the second time within a few days. Just over a week ago, Deutsche Bahn filed a lawsuit against the GDL's plans for a temporary employment agency.
According to the GDL's plans, the recently founded company Fair Train is to poach train drivers from the railways and then lend them out to other railway companies. Deutsche Bahn has filed a lawsuit because it considers the GDL and the cooperative that now exists to be too closely linked. The Regional Labour Court in Hesse is therefore to clarify whether the GDL is still capable of collective bargaining.
The legal dispute is only marginally concerned with specific issues arising from the collective bargaining dispute. But it could have an impact on a future collective bargaining agreement, which Deutsche Bahn is still striving for with the GDL. In addition, the lawsuit is unlikely to have improved the mood between the two sides. Dpa