Head of German train drivers' union said wage talks were a 'success'

DPA
·1 min read
Claus Weselsky, Chairman of the German Train Drivers' Union (GDL), talks to journalists at a press conference about the agreement reached with Deutsche Bahn in the wage dispute. Carsten Koall/dpa
Claus Weselsky, Chairman of the German Train Drivers' Union (GDL), talks to journalists at a press conference about the agreement reached with Deutsche Bahn in the wage dispute. Carsten Koall/dpa

The head of German train drivers' union GDL, Claus Weselsky, has described the wage agreement with state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn as a success.

"We have not had a failure, but a success, almost across the board," he said in Berlin on Tuesday.

"I would like to start by pointing out that the 35-hour week will be gradually introduced as a standard in the collective agreements at Deutsche Bahn AG and that pay will not be reduced."

The reduction in working hours had been a major sticking point in the labour dispute in recent months. Deutsche Bahn had proposed a 36-hour work week, but the union stuck to its 35-hour demand and backed that up with several strikes.

There was only one point on which the union was unable to assert itself, Weselsky said: The GDL will not conclude any collective agreements for infrastructure employees in the future. Weselsky conceded that too few employees had taken part in the strikes in this area to justify such an extension.

Martin Seiler, Chief Human Resources Officer of Deutsche Bahn (DB), talks to journalists at a press conference about the agreement with the GDL in the wage dispute. Carsten Koall/dpa
Martin Seiler, Chief Human Resources Officer of Deutsche Bahn (DB), talks to journalists at a press conference about the agreement with the GDL in the wage dispute. Carsten Koall/dpa