Collective wage negotiations are again on German rail’s agenda

After some time of relative calm, a new round of collective labour bargaining is again on German rail’s doorstep. The country’s largest trade union, EVG, is commencing wage negotiations with non-federal railways two months before the ongoing collective labour agreement expires. History has shown that those negotiations typically lack the intensity of those conducted with Deutsche Bahn.

The key elements EVG advocates should be incorporated in the renewed collective labour agreement include a complete premium compensation for inflation, which not all non-federal railway operators have paid in full. The inflation compensation was already part of the previous negotiation round.

Moreover, the trade union will demand a 7.6 per cent pay increase for employees, including an additional allowance which workers can decide whether they want to use as it is or instead convert to free time. Finally, negotiations will also focus on the possibility of more flexibility when arranging working hours, with EVG pushing for a solution similar to DB’s, where employees can choose between a 35 or 40-hour week.

Several companies partake

According to EVG, this preliminary negotiation round will include 21 companies. EVG will launch a joint negotiation round with 16 of them, as the remaining, all part of the Transdev Group, will negotiate separately. “Our goal is to conclude identical collective agreements in all companies,” said EVG co-negotiator Cosima Ingenschay.

Companies participating in this round include Abellio Mitteldeutschland GmbH, AKN Eisenbahn GmbH, Die Länderbahn GmbH DLB, Erfurter Bahn GmbH, erixx GmbH, eurobahn GmbH & Co. KG, Osthannoversche Eisenbahnen AG, SinON Schieneninfrastruktur Ost-Niedersachsen GmbH, Süd-Thüringen-Bahn GmbH, VIAS GmbH, VIAS Logistik GmbH, VIAS Rail GmbH, WestfalenBahn GmbH and vlexx GmbH.

Another round of strikes?

It is becoming a tradition in Germany for collective wage negotiations to create friction between the different parties and result in massive strikes. With EVG being the largest German trade union, the stakes are even higher regarding the impact that such strikes and nuisance could create.

Nevertheless, EVG’s history with non-federal railway companies is not alarming. Even during periods of prolonged friction with DB, negotiations with regional or private companies mostly ended up faster and on a more positive note, meaning that the chances of an escalation are pretty low in this case, too.