- Approaching consensus on bus fare costs
Advancements are being made in settling the salary disagreement within the private bus sector in Rhineland-Palatinate. A get-together involving employers, Verdi, and the government has concurred on the fundamental guidelines for a public transport index (ÖPNV-Index). By October, a functional proposal explaining the procedure will be presented, revealed Michael Hauer, State Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, post the meeting in Mainz.
The index serves to aid the public authorities in managing price rises for the industry, which also handles school transport in various parts of Rhineland-Palatinate on a communal basis. Rhineland-Palatinate aims to coincide with the ÖPNV-Index conditions already in place in Hessen.
October Meeting Agenda
Another get-together is arranged for October, following which the required meetings of the purpose associations are set to be scheduled by latest December, to enforce these laws. The ÖPNV-Index is slated to start implementation at the beginning of the upcoming year, applying solely to fresh contracts.
The index typically involves the standard cost advancement of transport services. In other federal states, elements like energy prices, vehicle maintenance, and employee wage costs are included. With the roundtable's outcome, Hauer highlighted that there is now planning certainty.
Mediation Outcome
It is intended that the new collective agreement will retroactively come into force on January 1, 2024, benefiting over 4000 employees, and will last until the end of 2026. For bus drivers, it will entail a one-time payment of 2000 euros in 2024, alongside an overall inflation adjustment of 1500 euros. Additionally, there will be a 5% wage and salary increase on January 1, 2025, another 5% on January 1, 2026, and another 5% on October 1, 2026. Wage increases are also agreed upon for workers in workshops and administration.
This proposal emerging from the mediation process has already been accepted by both tariff commissions, as per Verdi negotiator Marko Bärschneider. However, the collective agreement has yet to be concluded. The ÖPNV-Index's height and structure were also considered a vital factor.
Verdi: Index Not a Complete Employer Coverage
"However, the index cannot serve as a complete insurance policy for employers," Bärschneider had warned prior to the meeting, citing expectation exaggeration. This tool, which is also implemented in other federal states, primarily exists to alleviate extraordinary financial burdens. The managing director of the Association of Employers' Associations of the Transport Industry Rhineland-Palatinate (VAV), Heiko Nagel, had repeatedly insisted during the wage conflict that without an ÖPNV-Index, average wage increases for employees would only reach around 2.5%.
The talks between employers and the trade union culminated in recent months with protests and strikes. The state committed to the ÖPNV-Index introduction but remains an absentee in the negotiations.
The United Service Union, being a part of the stakeholders involved in the public transport sector, may also be interested in the implementation of the ÖPNV-Index in Rhineland-Palatinate, aiming to align with the conditions already present in Hessen. During the October meeting, various aspects of the index, including its potential impact on different roles within the transport sector, will be discussed and evaluated.
