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STRIKES

UPDATE: German rail union agrees to postpone strikes with third-party mediation

Strikes expected to be held next week have been narrowly averted as German rail union EVG agreed to enter an arbitration process with Deutsche Bahn - but a members' vote on unlimited strikes will continue.

EVG rail union protest Bremen
Members of the EVG rail union hold a demonstration in Bremen. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sina Schuldt

“After the failure of the negotiations, we declared that we would not oppose such a procedure – and now we are keeping our word,” EVG chief negotiation Kristian Loroch announced on Thursday.

Nevertheless, he said, the union will forge ahead with a ballot to decide whether to hold prolonged rail strikes in the coming weeks.

“Our voting members at Deutsche Bahn AG will therefore vote on the outcome of the conciliation and thus also on the possibility of indefinite industrial action,” EVG said in a statement. “If the result is not convincing, indefinite strikes will be the consequence.”

According to the EVG, however, it does not intend to carry out any further warning strikes until the start of the conciliation process.

READ ALSO: German rail union to hold ballot on unlimited strikes

The arbitration process is the latest twist in an embittered pay dispute between the rail operator and Germany’s largest rail union.

On Wednesday, Deutsche Bahn had launched its bid for external mediation in order to avoid strikes  that were expected to be held on Tuesday. 

A day earlier, Bild had reported that a decision on future warning strikes would be taken by Thursday afternoon.

Failed talks

Last week, EVG had declared that months of pay negotiations between the two sides had failed and had announced plans to ballot its 110,000 members on the possibility of prolonged strikes.

The strike ballot is likely to take four to five weeks, it said. But officials stressed that warning strikes were still possible during this time. 

Nevertheless, in recent media interviews the union had expressed its willingness for arbitration in the collective bargaining dispute.

“If the employer approaches us with a demand for arbitration, we can decide quickly,” EVG leader Martin Burkert told Bayerischer Rundfunk last week.

Such a mediation led to a breakthrough in public sector pay negotiations between services union Verdi and the local authorities back in May. 

READ ALSO: German public sector workers clinch 5.5 percent pay rise

EVG has been calling for a 12 percent pay rise or at least €650 extra per month for its members over 12 months – at which time pay negotiations would be reopened.

EVG chair Martin Burkert

EVG chair Martin Burkert speaks at a press conference on Thursday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Jörg Carstensen

This has been a key issue for the union after the union signed a long contract back in 2020 that prevented them from responding the steep rise in the cost of living.

Meanwhile, Deutsche Bahn has countered with a staggered 12 percent increase for lower earners, 10 percent for middle earners and eight percent for top earners – but with a duration of 27 months. 

Current discussions go far beyond the issue of pay, however, with working conditions and working hours also up for negotiation.

Shortly before EVG branded the talks “a failure”, the two sides had drawn up a 140-page document that was set to be used as a future collective agreement. 

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TRAVEL NEWS

Germany to check passports on Danish border during Euros

Persons travelling from Denmark to Germany during the 2024 European Championships, which begin on Friday, should bring their passport.

Germany to check passports on Danish border during Euros

Passports will be required for travel from Denmark to Germany for the duration of the European football championships, which take place in Germany between June 14th and July 14th. The border controls will be in effect until July 19th.

German authorities have put temporary border controls in place while the tournament is ongoing, the regional police in Southern Denmark have confirmed.

Diversions will be in place at some of the road crossings, notably Frøslev, where signage has been set up to redirect drivers.

READ ALSO: How to watch the Euro 2024 tournament on TV in Denmark

Germany’s Interior Ministry earlier stated that the country’s police had been given the option of using controls on all borders from June 7th. In that statement, the ministry said all travellers should bring passports when entering Germany.

The tournament will see some 500 police officers from other countries assist the German police by patrolling in host cities, and by helping the German Federal Police.

Euro 2024 begins on Friday evening when the hosts face Scotland in Munich. Denmark’s first match is against Slovenia on Sunday.

Denmark carries out spot checks on its side of the border with Germany, as part of temporary security measures that have been used in varying forms since 2016.

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