The strike at the railways continues, and there is no end to the deadlock in sight. The GDL is coming under increasing public pressure. The DGB tip also intervenes.
Berlin – The ongoing strike at Deutsche Bahn is also causing displeasure in the union camp. DGB boss Reiner Hoffmann criticized the behavior of the GDL and called on the train drivers’ union to return to the negotiating table.
“What we see critically is that here a professional group like train drivers asserts their particular interests against the general interests of all other railway employees,” said Hoffmann of the “Rheinische Post” (Saturday). The GDL belongs to the German Confederation of Civil Servants (dbb) and not to the German Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB).
Although the differences between the union and the railway are not very big, GDL boss Claus Weselsky refuses to return to the negotiating table. “Essentially, GDL boss Weselsky is about maintaining his union (…) and expanding its sphere of influence in order to gain more members in this way,” said Hoffmann. So far, the GDL is only able to negotiate collective agreements in 16 of the more than 300 railway companies, the larger DGB transport union EVG is responsible for all others. “With Mr. Weselsky and the GDL, it’s all about survival,” says Hoffmann.
Victory in court
The union of German locomotive drivers (GDL) wants to continue the strike after a victory in court until the planned end on Tuesday at 2 a.m. With the third nationwide strike round within a few weeks, passengers are also affected by the strike on a weekend for the first time – again there were train cancellations and delays. On Saturday, travelers crowded not only on the long-distance trains of Deutsche Bahn, but also on the trains of private providers and coaches with domestic German destinations.
The general manager of the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), Oliver Wolff, said: “We are experiencing that passengers no longer have any understanding of the duration of the strikes and the GDL’s persistence in not returning to the negotiating table. In this respect, the VDV, on behalf of the industry, calls on the GDL to resume negotiations and to restore traffic as quickly as possible in the interests of the rail customers. “
The managing director of the transport alliance Allianz pro Schiene, Dirk Flege, said: “In the interests of the millions of rail customers as well as climate protection, I can only hope that this labor dispute will soon end.” Strikes are incomprehensible to most outsiders. “I do not hope that customers will be scared off by the strike and that they will increasingly switch to buses and cars in the future.” Flege also emphasized that one can only hope that all customers will come back. Now would actually be the moment to start the race to catch up after the corona phase.
Stricter guidelines for industrial action required
The economic wing of the Union is calling for additional, stricter requirements for industrial action in train and air transport. This should include an announcement requirement of at least four days, according to a board decision of the SME and Economic Union (MIT) of the CDU and CSU. First the “Bild” newspaper reported about it. There is also demand for regulations to maintain basic services and mandatory arbitration before collective bargaining fails. In the case of a strike vote by union members on strikes, an additional quorum of 50 percent based on the number of employees in a company should be introduced – that is, those who agree must represent at least half of the workforce.
According to Wolff, the VDV respects collective bargaining autonomy. In the context of the corona pandemic, however, there was no understanding at all for the strike. During the pandemic, there was broad consensus between politics and companies that public transport should be fully maintained.
The FDP politician Oliver Luksic said: “A lack of predictability makes the railways less attractive and thus significantly damages the desired shift towards rail travel.” “However, I would like everyone involved to adopt a solution-oriented, objective approach. If the conflicting parties cannot come to an agreement, a new arbitrator has to be called on the table. ”Dpa
