Germany: Transnet and GDBA rail unions to increase cooperation to have more weight against the Deutsche Bahn

Two unions already quite close. To that end, on October 26 and 27, Transnet’s executive committee will meet, and the GDBA’s management will do the same on October 29 to talk about this project. Main rail union since 1896 with around 230,000 members, Transnet claims to be the defender of all employees “in the rail sector,” whether they work in transportation or services. Much smaller with only 40,000 members, GDBA, created in 1948, represents civil servants at the Deutsche Bahn (DB). Erstwhile bitter enemies, the two unions got closer in 2005 and created a single tariff committee (Tarifgemeinschaft). Since then, they have been bargaining together for wage increases for all the employees of the German railway and they sit together at the DB’s supervisory board. In 2007, they increased cooperation again by merging their training structures. “We came to a point where we want to decide if it is appropriate to keep things the way they are or to go further” Alexander Kirschner, Transnet leader, said in an interview.
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sit together at the DB’s supervisory
board. In 2007, they increased cooperation again by merging their training structures.
“We came to a point where we want to decide if it is appropriate to keep things
the way they are or to go further” Alexander Kirschner, Transnet leader, said
in an interview.

More weight against
the DB and the GDL union
. According to the trade unions, several factors point in favor of more
cooperation, starting with increased competition in transportation and new
privatizat

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