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Regional transport strikes set to end in Germany after union pay deal

Services union Verdi has scored a pay rise for regional rail workers, putting an end to weeks of disruption in some of Germany's largest states.

Published: 8 May 2023 17:10 CEST
Verdi transport strikes Schleswig-Holstein
Archive photo show busses in a depot in in Preetz, Schleswig-Holstein, during a Verdi strike. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Axel Heimken

On Monday, the union announced that regional transport workers would be getting a €1,500 tax-free bonus in June followed by a €300-per-month pay increase between October 2023 and September 2024.

The deal covers some 5,000 workers working for around 40 local transport operators all over Germany, who are covered by the Rail Collective Agreement (ETV). 

It is likely to mean the end of strikes that have disrupted transport in the states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein in recent weeks.

Before the latest round of negotiations on May 5th, Verdi had called two such strikes, with around 2,000 workers taking part in each of the walkouts.

READ ALSO: New strikes to paralyse transport in several German states on Thursday

“Without the massive pressure from the unions, this result would not have been possible,” said Verdi negotiator Volker Nüsse. 

Alongside the inflation compensation in June and the subsequent pay rise for full-time employees, the union also struck a deal for trainees in the regional transport sector.

This group will get a €750 tax-free bonus in June, followed by €150 extra per month from October 2023 to September 2024. 

“With the result, we have achieved a significant and swift increase in pay,” Nüsse said. “In the lower and middle pay groups it means an increase of 9.3 to 13 percent and thus urgently needed relief in view of the high inflation.”

The deal still needs to be finalised and can still be revoked anytime before May 26th, but if it passes, it will mean that the union is unable to reopen negotiations – or call further strikes – for the next 18 months. 

It follows another deal that saw Verdi net a 5.5 percent pay rise and €3,000 tax-free lump sum for transport workers employed by the local government.

READ ALSO: More rail strikes planned Wednesday in Germany: How long will they last?

However, with talks still ongoing between rail union EVG and Deutsche Bahn, commuters and holidaymakers could still have to contend with national rail strikes in the near future. 

The fourth round of pay negotiations between the national rail union and DB is scheduled for the end of May.

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TRAVEL NEWS

How can Germany fix its patchy rural transport connections?

While German cities are some of the best connected in the world, inadequate infrastructure in the countryside can create headaches for public transport users. Could new 'transfer hubs' be the answer?

Published: 18 June 2024 12:54 CEST
How can Germany fix its patchy rural transport connections?

Last year, a major survey conducted by city guides publisher Time Out crowned Berlin the city with the best public transport in the world. The extensive bus, tram and train network was praised by 97 percent of Berlin residents, who noted that transport in the German capital tended to be safe, comfortable and reliable.

But for those who travel a short distance out into Brandenburg, Berlin’s rural neighbour, the contrast couldn’t be more striking: trains stop running at 6pm, buses come every 2-3 hours and residents often face a lengthy trek to their nearest bus or train station. 

This divide was confirmed in a 2021 study by Deutsche Bahn subsidiary ioki that looked at public transport connections in Germany. Researchers found that while around 27 million people who lived in German cities had very good access to public transport, the 55 million who lived in suburban or rural areas were much more badly served.

READ ALSO: 55 million people in Germany have ‘inadequate public transport’

According to Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP), rural areas are in “urgent need” of solutions to these gaps in public transport. 

Speaking to DPA on Tuesday, the FDP politician set out his plans for local ‘transfer hubs’ that he said would encourage more car users to use public transport – even in non-urban areas.  

What exactly is a transfer hub?

A ‘transfer hub’ – or Umstiegs-Hub in German – is a place designed for travellers to switch from one mode of transport to another. As an example, Wissing mentioned easily accessible train stations with parking spaces, good bus connections, cycle paths and e-car charging ports where people could easily switch from their car to a quick commute by rail into the nearest city.

“We need more attractive transfer points in rural areas,” the Transport Minister told DPA. “The federal states could consider for themselves which locations in which regions would be best for such transfer hubs. From there, rail connections could then be offered to the metropolitan regions at regular intervals.” 

As opposed to taking “coercive” measures to force the switch from car to public transport, a “constructive approach” that considers both modes of transport would take the country further, Wissing said. 

“I believe that there is an urgent need in Germany to orientate the structures in rural areas towards more multimodal transport,” he explained. “The convenient flexibility of the car and the efficiency of the railway can be combined if the infrastructure is right.”

READ ALSO: Why (and where) Germans are choosing to go on holiday by car this year

What impact could this have?

With Germany’s transport sector repeatedly missing its climate targets, the ministry needs to find ways to reduce emissions and encourage a more widespread use of sustainable transport.

According to Wissing, this could have a much bigger impact in the countryside than it would in a city like Frankfurt or Berlin, since people in rural areas tend to travel longer distances. 

“We can achieve a situation where a commuter travels perhaps 20 or 25 kilometres to a transfer hub instead of 100 kilometres each way to work by car,” said Wissing. “That would be up to 150 kilometres less per day – a huge potential reduction in CO2.”

Bayerischer Oberlandbahn in Warngau

A regional train run by the Bayerischer Oberlandbahn stops near Warngau. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Lennart Preiss

But climate groups and transport companies have been pushing for a much more ambitious approach to expanding public transport in the countryside.

In its six-point plan for delivering good rural public transport, for example, the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) calls for rail-bus connections that run at least hourly and flexible, on-demand public transport options. 

However, Wissing said that a lack of skilled labour and low demand on rural routes would make it difficult to offer the kind of bus and train services VDV is calling for. 

“If the bus used to come every three hours and in future it will come every two hours – what kind of improvement would that be? People would stay in their cars,” he said.

READ ALSO: What to know about Deutsche Bahn’s summer service changes

Where does the Deutschlandticket come into this? 

According to the VDV, the €49 monthly travel pass, which has been valid for more than a year on local and regional transport throughout Germany, has an average of 11.2 million subscribers per month.

So far, however, it is primarily a ticket that is used in urban regions, with only 21 percent of Deutschlandticket users coming from rural areas.

According to VDV surveys, around 16 percent of Deutschlandticket users have been travelling by car less often since taking out the subscription.

Nevertheless, the shift has not yet materialised to the extent the government hoped for.

Meanwhile, federal and state transport ministers have been discussing an expansion and modernisation pact for local public transport for some time. The federal states are also calling on the federal government to increase the billions in regionalisation funds, which are used to order services from regional public transport companies.

With reporting by DPA

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