Four meetings and several warning strikes took place before the social partners in the rail industry reached an agreement, on Monday, March 25, for a 6% wage increase over two years. The agreement covers the 130,000 workers at the Deutsche Bahn and 7,000 employees from seven small private companies operating at regional level. This increase will come together with a EUR 500 bonus. The management of the EVG (Eisenbahn und Verkehrsgewerkschaft) rail union confirmed the pay deal on Monday but the duration of the agreement isn't the same for all employees - which is one of the reasons why a compromise wasn't reached sooner. In the end, the union's management accepted the difference in return for the guarantee that the next renewal - starting on December 31, 2014 - would be based on unified foundations. (Ref. 130201)
In spite of reluctance from the EVG union and the quasi-traditional warning strikes, the negotiations were peaceful. Indeed, from the start the union announced that it had “no intention” of paralyzing the country this year. For its part, the DB’s management announced that the union had gone “as far as the company can stand.” Indeed, the company needs to make major investments to maintain its rail network (33,600 kilometers and 5,400 train stations), which has been somewhat neglected for a fe
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