In the long wage dispute

Union now reaches agreement with Deutsche Bahn

A Deutsche Bahn train in Berlin(Bild: APA/dpa/Hannes P Albert)

The train drivers' union GDL and Deutsche Bahn reached an agreement on Monday evening in their months-long wage dispute. Further strikes are therefore likely to have been averted. Details are to be announced on Tuesday morning, according to the GDL.

A statement by Martin Seiler, Chief Human Resources Officer (Deutsche Bahn), "on the current status of the collective bargaining round" was also announced for Tuesday. The latest talks were held after six labor disputes, a failed moderation and a dispute in court. Over the past few months, freight and passenger trains have been repeatedly canceled due to the strikes. Deutsche Bahn had claimed that the strikes were disproportionate, but the union had repeatedly won its case in court.

There was a difference in the weekly working hours for shift workers. While the GDL demanded a reduction from 38 to 35 hours per week with no change in pay, Deutsche Bahn agreed to 36 hours with full pay compensation. However, this offer provided for two steps until 2028. The union under its chairman Claus Weselsky rejected this.

Collective agreements concluded even without an agreement
The union has already concluded collective agreements with more than two dozen other railroad companies in which the 35-hour week is enshrined. However, these are subject to the proviso that Deutsche Bahn also agrees to such an agreement. Otherwise, the existing contracts would be adjusted accordingly.

The concrete form of the agreement will not be announced until Tuesday. The negotiations are intensive, but also constructive, according to previous reports.