EVG success in rail pay talks

The Railway and Transport Union (EVG) in Germany announced a successful outcome to the 2013 wage negotiations with Deutsche Bahn AG on 25 March.

The collective agreement, described as “respectable” by EVG deputy chair Regina Rusch-Ziemba, could give a wage increase of six per cent overall and a further one per cent rise in employer contributions to occupational pension schemes.  A three percent increase will be effective from 1 May 2013, followed by a further three per cent rise from 1 April 2014. Rail workers will also receive a one-off social component payment for the January to April 2013 period.

Rusch-Ziemba commented: "There is hardly a collective bargaining agreement in other areas in the past twelve months which was better than ours. Moreover, it is able to prevent the employer seeking different payment in the service sector.”

She also claimed that warning strikes on 18 March, which disrupted rail services across Germany, had been a positive factor in the outcome.

ITF inland transport secretary Mac Urata said: “We know this has been a long and difficult series of negotiations and congratulate EVG on the successful outcome.”

EVG president Alexander Kirchner declared: “What we have achieved is a result for workers across the company. We will not let employees in the different operations of Deutsche Bahn be played off against each other. That’s why the national board approved this deal with the premise that there will be a uniform requirement for all employees in the 2014 bargaining round. We will assert ourselves together.”