The railway and transport Union (ECG) has called for Monday from five until nine o’clock to a rail strike in Germany. The Union also represents railway workers in interlocking and operating the Central work of the recusal could meet, train, therefore, hard. The competition trade Union GDL wants to negotiate. the By Markus Balser, Berlin Markus Balser
Markus Balser came in 2001 to the süddeutsche Zeitung. He is a graduate of the Cologne school of journalism and a diploma in Economics and was first in the economy editorial office in Munich. In 2013, he went to Berlin and reported from there on energy and environmental issues. At the beginning of 2016, he joined the parliamentary team and takes care of to transport and agricultural policies, as well as to the Deutsche Bahn. In 2007, Balser was Nannen, together with Klaus Ott and Hans Leyendecker for the research to the Siemens bribe scandal with the Henri award. In 2008, he was a scholarship holder of the Arthur F. Burns fellowship, a guest editor of the Wall Street Journal in New York.
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Who calls in these weeks, the website of the train, the characters more often, as it can be clients love: A red triangle with exclamation point passengers prepares to serious problems. Time it warns of construction sites, sometimes in front of the locked high-speed lines due to an ICE-Brands. Since Sunday the sign is even on the top of the page. Because at the start of the week an even bigger still threatens to stand In the whole of Germany, a warning strike will paralyze train traffic.
The largest and most powerful rail Union in the country, will this Monday from five o’clock until nine o’clock in the whole country -, Regional -, and long-distance trains shut down. The impact would get into it far in the day, warned a spokesman for the railway and transport Union (EVG). Thus, a violent labor dispute at the railway threatens the record of strikes in the year 2015, for the first time. That, for once, not the smaller train drivers ‘ Union GDL, but the larger EVG trade Union calls of the strike, could hit customers hard. Because it also represents Employees in the systems and operations centers. A few striking employees could provide large-scale standstill.
warning Strikes at Deutsche Bahn
What are rail passengers now need to know
The state of the group, one speaks of a “totally unnecessary escalation”
And so the warning of the train could be an understatement. “It is currently a focus in North Rhine-Westphalia, in the morning announced, which is expected to have national impact,” said the railway on Sunday on its website. The train was in the evening, a toll-free Hotline for passengers under the telephone number 08000 996633. Long-distance transport tickets for Monday reserved till Tuesday its validity, Artemisbet for travelers with flexible price and saving price tickets valid on Monday, booked trains to be lifted. The path recommended to postpone travel with the ICE and IC on Tuesday. In the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations, had come on Saturday morning to a head. The EVG for the last two months of current wage negotiations declared a failure. You want to return to the negotiating table, if the track is a new offering, such as EDC spokesman Uwe Reitz on Sunday evening in front of journalists in Berlin said. The offer of the railway included a wage increase of 5.1 percent in two stages, and a one-off payment of 500 euros. Employees should be given the opportunity to choose instead of more money, more leisure time, but only from 2021. The track speaks of a “totally unnecessary escalation”. And further: “to leave this offer on the negotiating table, is not traceable and insecure, totally unnecessary, our customers in the middle of the Christmas season,” said chief of staff Martin Seiler. ECG negotiator Regina Rusch-Ziemba said that the Railways have proposed a postponement on Tuesday.
“not for us to question.” The group is escalating at an inopportune time. This Wednesday members of the Supervisory Board the train to discuss ways out of the current crisis. Actually, the train had already been made for this year to be more punctual. It was planned that 82 per cent of trains arrive on time. In fact, only 70.4 per cent of the Intercity, Eurocity and ICE went in November, according to Plan – which means according to the Definition of the state group only in less than six minutes after the scheduled time. As is clear from internal documents, needs of the railway by 2023, approximately eleven billion euros in addition, in order to keep the rail network and trains in the shot and to improve the operation.
there Are other reasons for the strike?
otherwise, a lot of strikers competing trade Union GDL, which is also in collective bargaining, the more prepared you have to wonder, however, whether there is in addition to the tariff dispute, other reasons for a power struggle with the railway. He believe that the EDC wanted to show that they could strike quipped GDL-boss Claus Weselsky on Sunday. Your recusal meet, however, a company that was weakened in the face of austerity. “Because you have to take as a trade Union, even a bit of consideration.”
In a recent Letter from the GDL to the leading members of it is, it “is likely to be given at the Moment, not in the collective bargaining-lying reason for a strike.”
“May it, therefore, other reasons are relevant,” writes Thomas Gelling, managing Director of GDL-collective Department of a large railway-junction. The Letter is in the SZ. The ECG is currently calling for a restructuring of the group. Business fields and long – Distance transport did not cooperate enough, complained to EVG chief Alexander Kirchner, who is also Deputy chief of the Supervisory Board, internal. New structures would have to, the group Board of management must set up new. A strike could improve the negotiating position, says an observer.
The escalation of the dispute is also likely to have a Long-simmering dispute between the Management and the employees contributed. In an internal fire the letter head of the group, Richard Lutz had complained in September to the poor state of the group’s own employees. The Group works Council, then, is a “Declaration of bankruptcy” of management.
New criticism of the railway came at the weekend from the Green. The timetable of the Deutsche Bahn, you can practice sharp criticism of the ticket system and the corporate structures. “The ticket system is hardly a passenger,” said group chief Anton Hofreiter on Saturday. In addition, the tax would be swallowed up funds from inefficient structures.