Started last March, the longest rail conflict in German history is coming to an end. The train drivers' union, GDL, announced, on January 13, 2008, that he set with the Deutsche Bahn (DB) the day before the guidelines for a specific tariff agreement, which should be done by January 31. It plans an 11% wage increase as well as a slight reduction of working time for train drivers. (Ref. 080031)
“We signed a good agreement”, Manfred Schell, GDL leader, congratulated himself; he looked quite satisfied and excluded, “with 99% odds” any strike before the end of negotiations. Indeed, even though the wage increase promised by the rail company is far from the 31% asked by the GDL, the agreement in principle obtained on January 12 thanks to Wolfgang Tiefensee (SPD), German Minister of transportation, represents a victory for the minority union.
A two-step increase. The DB’s 20.000 train driver
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