German rail operator Deutsche Bahn AG and the Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokomotivführer (GDL) train drivers’ union have reached an agreement on wages and working hours, ending a months-long dispute that caused strikes and disrupted both freight and passenger traffic across the country (GM March 8, p. 34; Feb. 2, p. 1).
Under the deal, from 2026, the standard working week will be gradually reduced from 38 hours to 35 hours by 2029 at full pay, according to Agence France Presse, citing a Deutsche Bahn press conference on March 26. Train drivers will, however, have the option of working more hours if they want to, up to 40 hours a week, at 2.7% more salary per additional hour.
The agreement also includes a €420 ($455) per month wage hike in two stages as well as a one-off payment of €2,850 to help compensate for inflation, according to the report. The settlement will run until the end of 2025, and both sides have ruled out any further strike action for nearly two years.
The agreement ends an acrimonious dispute that led to six rounds of walkouts since November last year. K+S group and German chemical giant BASF SE were forced to shift some of their transports from rail to trucks as a result (GM Jan. 26, p. 1). State-owned Deutsche Bahn, which posted a net loss of €2.35 billion in 2023, said last year’s walkouts alone cost the company some €200 million.