As of: January 23, 2024, 4:45 a.m
By: Marcel Reich, Lisa Mayerhofer
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The GDL has again called on its train drivers to go on strike for days.
Deutsche Bahn's new tariff offer was rejected.
Update from January 22nd, 3:09 p.m.:
Deutsche Bahn will not try again to prevent the GDL train drivers' union's announced strike through court.
“DB will not appeal against the six-day GDL strike,” said a company spokesman on Monday.
“After legal review, there are currently no plans to obtain an interim injunction.”
DB human resources manager Martin Seiler appealed to the union's sense of responsibility and called on them to return to the negotiating table: "The order of the day is to take responsibility and finally negotiate again," he said.
“Especially in these times, a strong social partnership is more important than ever.” This “necessarily” involved compromises.
Update from January 22nd, 12:45 p.m.:
The train drivers' union GDL has accused the railway of deception and thus justified its six-day strike.
The new offer from Deutsche Bahn negotiator Martin Seiler is not a basis for negotiations, said GDL boss Claus Weselsky on Monday.
“Mr Seiler also tricks and deceives railway customers, not just his own employees.” Seiler linked the offered reduction in weekly working hours by one hour to the fact that the railway could hire enough additional employees.
In addition, the railway refuses to even negotiate a GDL collective agreement for employees in the infrastructure.
The GDL will only come to the negotiating table if there are no preconditions.
Weselsky again rejected arbitration.
Weselsky went on to say that Seiler had to ask himself whether he was still a suitable negotiator.
In the last few weeks, the GDL has concluded collective agreements for around 10,000 employees at smaller rail companies.
Update from January 22nd, 11:13 a.m.:
Despite an improved tariff offer, Deutsche Bahn is facing the longest strike in its history.
The train drivers' union GDL announced on Sunday the fourth round of strikes in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute for Wednesday morning at 2 a.m.
The strike is scheduled to last until next Monday at 6 p.m.
A strike has been called in freight transport from 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
The last time a five-day strike was declared at Deutsche Bahn was in 2015.
Claus Weselsky and the GDL train drivers want to go on strike at Deutsche Bahn for six days.
© Christoph Soeder/dpa
Update from January 22nd, 10:31 a.m.:
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing reacted to the strike announcement by the train drivers' union GDL with sharp criticism.
“I have zero understanding for this form of collective bargaining,” said the FDP politician on Monday in the ZDF morning magazine.
In his opinion, the collective bargaining conflict between Deutsche Bahn and GDL is becoming increasingly destructive.
“I don’t think that Mr. Weselsky is doing himself or his union any favors with this style,” added Wissing, referring to the GDL chairman.
Update from January 22nd, 6:55 a.m.:
The train drivers' union GDL has again called on Deutsche Bahn employees to go on strike.
This will begin in passenger traffic early on Wednesday morning at 2 a.m. and last until Monday next week at 6 p.m.
The GDL announced this on Monday night.
The union members at DB Cargo, which is responsible for freight transport, have been called on strike from Tuesday at 6 p.m.
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Commuters are facing difficult days again with probably thousands of train cancellations.
It was only on Friday that Deutsche Bahn presented a new tariff offer to bring the GDL back to the negotiating table.
However, this was apparently not enough for new negotiations.
“With the third and supposedly improved offer, Deutsche Bahn AG has once again shown that it is undeterred in pursuing its previous course of refusal and confrontation - there is no trace of any desire to reach agreement,” said the GDL statement.
New rail strike?
Collective bargaining conflict between Deutsche Bahn and GDL is entering the next round
First report from January 19th:
Berlin - After the collective bargaining dispute between Deutsche Bahn and the GDL train drivers' union had previously been pointing towards 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.
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.
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.
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)