Germany: the return of the conflict between EVG, the majority rail union, and GDL, the small train drivers union, is putting the Deutsche Bahn in an awkward situation

The next collective negotiations at the Deutsche Bahn promise to be particularly complicated. Adopted in 2008 after a spectacular conflict, the “cooperation agreement” regulating the relations between the railway company, the majority union (then Transnet, now EGV) and the GDL train drivers’ union, expired on Monday, June 30. The same day, the EGV announced that it didn’t want to renew the deal and once again wanted to defend the interests of its “own” train drivers. 2 weeks earlier, the GDL had warned that it also wanted to improve its prerogative and take control of trainmen in the future - who used to be represented by… the EGV. The Deutsche Bahn is hoping to renew the cooperation agreement before collective bargaining resumes.
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Clear separation of competence. On March 9, 2008, the GDL train drivers’ union signed a “cooperation agreement” (Grundlagentarifvertrag) between the trade unions and the DB, thus putting an end to the longest conflict in the history of German rail (see article No. 080196). In this agreement, Transnet (which became EVG after it merged with the GDBA union in November 2010, see article No. 100843) and GDL committed themselves to mutually recognizing their respective collective agreements and coord

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