"Meaningless" offer paper that "mocks" the colleagues

In the collective bargaining conflict with the railways, strikes are threatening soon: the railway and transport union (EVG) rejected an initial offer from the railways as “unacceptable” on Wednesday and declared that warning strikes would therefore be “inevitable”. However, the EVG does not want to make a decision on this until next week. The railways expressed incomprehension and spoke of an "attractive and comprehensive" offer that took up central EVG requirements.

The EVG is negotiating a new collective agreement in 50 rail and bus companies nationwide, and its demands apply equally to all companies. Since the talks on the current collective bargaining round in the other companies will continue until Thursday next week, a joint decision on possible labor disputes should only then be made, the union said. At the weekend there were reports that EVG and Verdi were planning a joint one-day warning strike in the transport sector on March 27th.

In the collective bargaining round with the EVG, Deutsche Bahn is offering a total of five percent more wages in two steps - by December 1 of this year there should be three percent and by August 1 of next year another two percent. In addition, the group is proposing inflation compensation premiums totaling 2,500 euros, namely 1,000 euros at the beginning of May and 1,500 euros at the beginning of January next year.

In addition, the group would like to introduce a minimum railway wage of 13 euros and - if there are still regional differences - to "negotiate appropriate adjustments". Deutsche Bahn proposes a term of 27 months.

The union spoke of a "senseless" offer paper that "mocks" the colleagues. For a period of one year, it calls for wage increases of a total of twelve percent, but at least 650 euros as a "social component". The EVG rejects one-off payments as unsustainable.

In addition, the union is demanding an immediate statutory minimum wage as the basis on which the demands are based. Chief negotiator Kristian Loroch called the Deutsche Bahn offer a "sleight of hand" since possible wage increases would only count towards the minimum wage and would therefore "have a limited effect".

Bahn HR Manager Martin Seiler called on the EVG to continue the round of negotiations "promptly". The date agreed so far on April 24th and 25th is too far away. "We are always ready to continue the negotiations at an earlier point in time." The EVG, for its part, called on the railways to submit an improved offer by the next regular tariff talks.

The first round of tariff talks was broken off after just two hours at the end of February. Negotiations continued on Tuesday and have now been adjourned.

The EVG is negotiating for around 180,000 employees at Deutsche Bahn. Collective bargaining talks between the Group and the German Locomotive Drivers' Union (GDL) follow in the autumn. A total of around 220,000 people work for Deutsche Bahn in Germany.

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