Shortly after the third wave of strikes in the wage dispute with the union of German locomotive drivers (GDL), Deutsche Bahn presented a new tariff offer on Wednesday.
In addition to wage increases of 3.2 percent, this now also provides for a specifically quantified Corona special bonus.
"In the organizational area of the GDL, depending on the pay group, 400 or 600 euros would be distributed," said a statement by the company that was distributed on Wednesday evening.
The union had demanded a premium of 600 euros as part of its package of demands.
Dietrich Creutzburg
Business correspondent in Berlin.
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In the conflict over the term of the desired collective agreement, Deutsche Bahn is also taking a step towards the union: Deviating from its earlier collective bargaining offer, it is proposing a compromise of 36 months instead of the previous 40 months.
She did not provide any further information on the dates on which the planned two stages of a tariff increase should take effect.
The GDL demands that employees receive an initial increase of 1.4 percent in the current year.
The Deutsche Bahn's proposal so far provided for a first stage of 1.5 percent in spring 2022.
Whether the new offer would loosen the fronts initially remained open.
Ten days ago, the GDL had responded negatively to the initially unquantified offer of the railway to negotiate a bonus.
Bahn Personnel Director Martin Seiler called the new initiative a "clear message".
To the address of GDL boss Claus Weselsky he said: "Come to the negotiating table at last and stop the irresponsible industrial action!"
No signs of a short-term stop
The union had initially started its announced strike in freight traffic at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. For the period from Thursday night onwards, it had then also called on its members in passenger transport to new strikes. These should last until Tuesday, more than twice as long as the two previous waves of strikes. There were initially no signs that the GDL could stop the strike in the short term.
However, some rail customers are wondering whether there may be other mechanisms that could soon end the seemingly endless conflict between GDL and rail. This includes the question of how long the union can afford the strike payments due to its members in the event of a strike. On closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that the GDL in particular should not rely on empty strike funds - it has particularly large financial resources.
This is not least due to the fact that the GDL belongs to the DBB Beamtenbund. Aside from her own reserves, she is also entitled to financial solidarity from a wealthy umbrella organization. Details are regulated by the DBB's "Strike Money Support Regulations". Specifically, the GDL can have an amount of up to 50 euros per person and day of strike reimbursed from the DBB's so-called action fund for all strike payments to its members. Since the DBB has around 1.3 million members, two-thirds of whom are civil servants who are not entitled to strike, the fund is unlikely to ever reach its financial limits - especially not through a small organization with barely 10,000 striking members. The situation would be less comfortable for the GDL if the DBB had concerns about their strike.During the great train drivers' strike in 2015, there were temporary doubts as to whether the umbrella association would approve their application; At the time, Weselsky's robust approach had not convinced everyone within the umbrella organization either. This time, DBB boss Ulrich Silberbach has clearly sided with the GDL from the start. The DBB does not provide any information on whether the latter has already applied for money in the current conflict.
The prospect of possible "political solutions" to the conflict is hardly cheaper than hoping for empty strike funds. Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) asked the GDL two weeks ago to engage in a new arbitration procedure - but without success. The parliamentary group leader of the Left Party, Dietmar Bartsch, instead developed the idea that Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) should prevent the GDL strike and “instruct the rail company to meet the demands”.
However, this is unlikely to be feasible either politically or legally, unless the legislature creates new facts. And beyond all substantive questions, this encounters a technical obstacle - just like any other consideration of changing laws in response to the strike: the federal election. It will be some time before a new government majority is able to work. After the 2017 election, it lasted until April. Against this background, the hope then seems a little more realistic that the labor dispute can perhaps be brought to an end without political interference and without empty strike funds.