We are still willing to negotiate. To reach an agreement, Deutsche Bahn now has to go one step further. We are not asking for anything impossible,” EVG president Martin Burkert said in a statement. But until that step is taken, the union takes into account new strikes. “With all its consequences. This will make unlimited strikes possible,” he said. stated Burkert.
According to the union, the differences with the railway company were “irreconcilable”. ‘In view of still high inflation, employees expect the maximum possible wage increase as soon as possible. But Deutsche Bahn did not want to pay more than 200 euros more in a first phase and only in December. It’s too little too late,’ says Burkert. Furthermore, the new collective labor agreement would have a duration of 27 months. As a result, the amount by which wages would increase was “too low”.
Expectations not met
EVG specifies that it has contacted Deutsche Bahn several times in recent days to reach an agreement. The union saw opportunities for this. “But if the expectations of our members are not met on the crucial point of the salary increase, the negotiations will fail. That’s how it is now,’ Burkert says.
The difficult negotiations previously led to several strikes in which rail transport in Germany was largely disrupted. International trains from the Netherlands have also been affected, as have local connections across the border. Furthermore, the transport of goods from the port of Rotterdam to the Ruhr area was hampered by the strikes.