As of: March 26, 2024, 7:21 a.m
By: Hannes Niemeyer
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Stop the train drivers' strike!
Deutsche Bahn and the GDL have reached an agreement.
A report reveals the first details.
Berlin - After more than four months and six strikes by the GDL train drivers' union, rail travelers can breathe a sigh of relief: Deutsche Bahn and GDL have reached an agreement in their long-deadlocked collective bargaining dispute, as both sides announced on Monday evening.
They want to inform about the details of the deal in separate press conferences in Berlin on Tuesday morning.
The railway's passengers and industrial customers are no longer threatened with strikes.
Both sides had previously agreed to remain silent until collective negotiations had been concluded.
It is the end of an odyssey of negotiations marked by allegations.
The agreement was greeted with relief in politics.
“It is an important signal of safety and reliability for the millions of commuters and the expected travelers over Easter,” said the transport policy spokeswoman for the SPD parliamentary group, Isabel Cademartor.
“The agreement is a win for the rail system, which will face major challenges in the coming months.”
No more strikes: GDL and DB reach an agreement after a marathon collective bargaining dispute
The GDL's repeated strikes had affected millions of rail passengers, and the railway was only able to provide a basic range of long-distance trains.
The already ailing German economy also suffered from the strikes, as they also affected freight transport.
Industrial customers of the railway subsidiary DB Cargo, for example from the automotive and chemical sectors, had to reschedule and business trips, such as to trade fairs, were canceled.
The employer-related Institute of the German Economy (IW) estimated the costs of a nationwide strike on the railways at up to 100 million euros in lost economic output per day.
Goodbye rail strikes!
The DB and the GDL have reached an agreement.
© dpa |
Hannes P. Albert + dpa |
Bernd Weissbrod
Despite the agreement not to comment before the statements, the first details about the specific content of the agreement are already leaking out.
A particular sticking point in the conflict was the reduction in weekly working hours for shift workers from 38 to 35 hours.
Now a report says that an agreement has actually been reached on the gradual reduction.
Collective bargaining dispute between GDL and Deutsche Bahn settled: First details of the agreement are leaking out
The news portal
Politico
reported on Tuesday that a “working time corridor” should be set up that would allow employees to reduce their working hours annually until 2029 with full wage compensation.
At the beginning of 2026, this reduction will automatically take place to 37 hours.
Anyone who wants to work 40 hours can do so for around 2.7 percent more wages.
According to the report, reductions to 36 hours from 2027, to 35.5 hours from 2028 and to 35 hours from 2029 are planned for the following years.
However, they no longer take place automatically, but only optionally at the request of the employees.
The parties also agreed on a salary increase of 420 euros per month for 26 months retroactively to November 1, 2023, Politico reported.
However, the newly created Deutsche Bahn subsidiary, DB InfraGO, should not be included in the GDL collective agreement.
(han/dpa/AFP)