German trains will be moving after all. On 13 May 2023, DB submitted an urgent application to the labour court in Frankfurt am Main to stop the warning strike announced by the railway and transport union (EVG). This application stated that DB has agreed to wage increases as requested by the unions. In addition, the parties have agreed to negotiate quickly and constructively with the goal of an early conclusion, especially regarding the persisting tariff conflict.
Despite the settlement, there will be some implications for long-distance traffic and local trains ahead of the expected heavy traffic on Ascension day on Thursday. DB must reschedule around 50,000 train journeys and the associated shift and deployment schedules.
An original article from 11 May 2023:
After unsuccessful progress in negotiations, German railway and transport unions EVG announced the third strike on railways. It will last from 10 pm on 14 May 2023 until midnight on 16 May 2023.
EVG claims that Deutsche Bahn is not submitting a negotiable offer, which leads to German railways grinding to a halt for the third time over a short period. This time, slightly over two days, most trains in Germany will be stopped due to a strike.
The main disputed argument is the minimum wage. The DB offer for 5% increase opposes EVG’s proposal for at least 12%. The first one-day strike in March was followed by another one in April, yet the slow or no progress in negotiations makes unions push harder. This time, the strike will last for 50 hours.
There will be strong implications for passengers on rails over these two days, but there might be an even more significant impact on freight rail as the congested traffic flows take many days to dissolve after the strike is over.
