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Berlin (dpa) - At Deutsche Bahn, the largest union offers to disclose its membership.
The unusual step should help to unravel the tariff situation at the state company.
"We need clarity quickly as to where which collective agreement applies," said Klaus-Dieter Hommel, Chairman of the Railway and Transport Union (EVG).
That only goes through the real membership of the unions.
The railway has had a problem since the beginning of the year: In dozens of companies it is no longer clear which collective agreement actually applies there - the one with the EVG or the one with the German Locomotive Drivers Union (GDL).
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Because since January the unified tariff law has been in effect at the railway.
Thereafter, the contract with the union that has the most members in the respective company is decisive.
In around 70 of the 300 companies in Germany, however, the railway cannot say for sure.
Employees do not have to announce whether and where they are organized.
Usually, trade unions do not like to reveal how many members they have in companies.
Because then, in a collective bargaining dispute, the employer can estimate how strong their clout would be in the event of a strike.
Both unions have already proven that they can paralyze the railway with strikes.
With around 211,000 employees nationwide, Deutsche Bahn is one of the largest employers in Germany.
Your two unions have been competing for influence in the group for years.
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It will take several months to assign the collective bargaining agreements, according to a letter to the Bahn employees.
The management made it clear to them on Friday that they have no legal entitlement to benefits from which they may benefit temporarily due to the unclear situation, including bonuses, time off work and protection against dismissal.
The EVG called on the GDL to disclose its membership figures.
The train drivers had announced in autumn that they would recruit members in all areas of the railway in Germany in order to oust the collective agreements of the EVG.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210213-99-423150 / 2
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