On Friday, there is a threat of rail chaos in Germany: in the midst of the collective bargaining dispute, employees are supposed to stop working again.
According to information from the railway and transport union (EVG), train travelers and weekend commuters have to be prepared for train cancellations and delays on Friday. The reason for the strike is that employers such as Deutsche Bahn have so far remained immobile in collective bargaining, union representatives told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday.
Deutsche Bahn is also expected to be out before the weekend, the group said. Both the union and the state-owned company invited to press conferences on Wednesday.
At the end of March, the EVG, together with the Verdi services union, called for a major strike nationwide, which affected airports and ports in addition to buses and trains.
Up to 230,000 employees affected
After the strike, the union announced that it would not start any further industrial action around Easter. Since then, further talks have taken place with some smaller companies, but not with the railways. According to the EVG, the next appointment is next Tuesday. At the group, the collective bargaining affects a good 180,000 of the approximately 230,000 employees.
The EVG demands at least 650 euros more per month for a term of one year or twelve percent more for the upper income groups. The union is currently negotiating in the second round with around 50 railway companies.
Deutsche Bahn was recently open to accepting the arbitration proposal in the negotiations for the public sector as a basis for its own talks. This initially provides for tax and duty-free special payments of 3,000 euros in several stages. From March 2024 there will then be a base amount of 200 euros and then a wage increase of 5.5 percent. If no increase of 340 euros is achieved, the relevant increase amount should be set to this sum.
Also strikes at airports
Passengers at Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Cologne/Bonn airports will also have to adjust to noticeable restrictions over the next few days. The Verdi union called on employees in aviation security, passenger control, personnel and goods control and in the service areas of the three airports to go on all-day warning strikes for Thursday and Friday.
“In connection with the strike, longer waiting times and even flight cancellations or cancellations are to be expected,” Verdi warned on Tuesday. The aviation industry criticized the renewed strike.
