BERLIN — German rail operator Deutsche Bahn and the union representing train drivers have agreed on a new contract, ending a dispute that saw the nation hit by three rail strikes in less than a month.
Broadcaster DW reports the deal with the GDL union was announced by the premiers of the German states of Lower Saxony and Schlewsig-Holstein on Thursday. It includes a wage increase of 3.3% in two stages — 1.5% on Dec. 1 and 1.8% on March 1, 2023, as well as two bonus payments of 800 to 1,000 Euros ($940-$1,180).
Officials of a larger rail union, EVG, which had already agreed to a smaller deal, said they would seek renegotiation of their contract and did not rule out the possibility of strikes.
The GDL held two short strikes in August before a Sept. 1-7 walkout that was the second longest in the nation’s history [see “Third German rail strike ends,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 7, 2021].
37 Yıllık Kompresör Tecrübesi
That’s why you don’t give into one particular union when you’ve already reached agreement with another…the GDL union should’ve just taken the same deal the EVG got…but no, the German train drivers wanted more, now the other union feels slighted and might strike if their contract isn’t renegotiated. Perhaps countries need to make it so that contracts are ironclad once signed, not allowing renegotiations once a contract is signed and certified. I’m not anti-union, but I am anti-anti-competitiveness and anti-greed.