Collective bargaining for around 160 employees.000 german railroad employees still waiting for the hoped-for breakthrough. In berlin, the railroad resumed the interrupted talks with the railroad and transport union (EVG) on tuesday.
In eisenach, the company negotiated new collective agreements with the german locomotive drivers’ union (GDL). Spokespersons for all three bargaining parties did not rule out negotiations "into the night.
The EVG broke off the fourth round of negotiations in hanover on saturday. The reason given was that the wage offer was too low. With a four-hour warning strike on monday, the union increased the pressure on the employer. The strike in signal boxes, workshops and railroad stations paralyzed train traffic in many parts of germany.
The day after, there were still a few problems with the train traffic. But the long-distance trains are now back on schedule, a railroad spokeswoman said at midday. "After the minor delays and few cancellations, traffic is now stable."
Both unions entered the bargaining round with a demand for 7.5 percent more pay. The railroad had offered a pay increase in two stages: 2.5 percent on january 1, 2018. Mar. 2019, another 2.6 percent to the 1. January 2020, with a contract term of 29 months. A one-time payment of 500 euros was to be added for the months of october 2018 to february 2019.
The EVG most recently demanded 3.5 percent for the first increase level over a period of 24 months. At least there should be a 3 in front of the decimal point, he said at the EVG. The longer the term of a contract, the lower the effective pay increase.
"We will now continue the collective bargaining with the firm intention of achieving a result at the negotiating table," said EVG negotiator regina rusch-ziemba at the start of the negotiations.
Rail personnel director martin seiler said it was a good signal that they were back at the negotiating table. Both sides had "largely found the solutions for the 37 demands of the EVG. We still have a little way to go." both parties had to move towards each other. "We’re going to try to get this done as quickly as possible," he added.
In the afternoon, a union spokesman was "optimistic" about the collective bargaining talks with the GDL taking place in eisenach. There are still a number of details to be clarified, however. Seiler also said that the company was "on the right track" with the GDL. He is "quite confident that we will achieve a result there". There is "virtually a dedicated line" between eisenach and berlin.
The railroad is striving to reach the same agreements with the EVG and GDL on overarching collective bargaining issues such as pay. Seiler made it clear right at the beginning of the negotiations two months ago that he wanted to reach comparable results with both unions "for the same occupational groups".
While the EVG had about 160.While the union represents more than 000 employees of the german railroads in germany, the smaller GDL is negotiating for a part of them – about 36 employees.000 employees of the train crews, including above all locomotive drivers, train attendants and on-board caterers.