On Friday, the EVG largely paralyzed rail traffic throughout Germany with an eight-hour warning strike.
(Photo: IMAGO/NurPhoto)
Berlin, Fulda Deutsche Bahn will not continue its collective bargaining with the EVG union on Wednesday. Personnel director Martin Seiler explained in Fulda that a significantly improved offer had been presented on Tuesday, which the railway and transport union (EVG) continued to reject as not negotiable.
“DB made the highest offer in its history,” said Seiler. “The EVG continues to categorically refuse to negotiate with us on the content. Instead, they are threatening strikes.” The next negotiation date is not until the end of May. Initially, no statement could be obtained from the EVG.
The parties to the conflict had interrupted their negotiations on Tuesday, but signaled that they were still willing to talk and could possibly continue talking on Wednesday. EVG collective bargaining board member Kristian Loroch had criticized that after the railway offer, many questions were still open and demands from the union were unanswered. Therefore, the offer as a whole – i.e. qualitatively and in terms of salary increases – is not yet a basis for negotiations. The employer still has to make adjustments here.
Bahn manager Seiler, on the other hand, spoke of a “huge package that is based on the volume of the public service”. It includes ten percent more wages for lower and middle incomes, eight percent more money for higher incomes and an additional 2850 euros inflation compensation premium for everyone.
The railway and transport union (EVG) largely paralyzed rail traffic throughout Germany with an eight-hour warning strike on Friday. The union negotiates for around 230,000 employees at around 50 train and bus companies and insists on twelve percent more wages, but at least 650 euros more per month.
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