Deutsche Bahn has denied the GDL the right to conclude collective agreements

Deutsche Bahn has denied the GDL the right to conclude collective agreements

Deutsche Bahn has denied the train drivers' union GDL the right to conclude collective agreements in the middle of the current wage round. The GDL had forfeited its "collective bargaining capacity" by founding a temporary employment agency last year, the company declared on Wednesday. To clarify the matter, Deutsche Bahn filed a declaratory action with the Hessian State Labor Court.

The effectiveness of any collective bargaining agreement and the legality of strikes in the current round of collective bargaining are therefore in question.

The background to this is the founding of the Fair Train cooperative for the secondment of workers, which the GDL announced when it presented its core demands for the collective bargaining round in June last year. Fair Train is intended to poach train drivers, particularly from Deutsche Bahn, employ them as temporary workers and then return them to Deutsche Bahn or other transport companies under its own conditions.

Fair Train acts as a "personnel service provider in the cooperative model" independent of the GDL, union boss Claus Weselsky said in the summer. In September, the cooperative received a permit from the relevant authorities to provide temporary workers and has been looking for staff ever since. In October, it concluded a collective bargaining agreement with the GDL.

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1. The GDL's authorization to conclude collective agreements in the ongoing wage round has been contested by Deutsche Bahn, as they believed the union had forfeited its bargaining capacity due to the establishment of Fair Train.
2. The conclusion of any collective agreements during this round of collective bargaining remains uncertain, as Deutsche Bahn has taken legal action to clarify the issue with the Hessian State Labor Court.
3. The potential implications of this situation extend beyond the current round of collective bargaining, as the legality of strikes could also be affected.
4. Deutsche Bahn's denial of the GDL's rights to conclude collective agreements comes amidst a contentious period, with the establishment of Fair Train, a temporary employment agency, serving as a major point of contention between the two parties.

Source: www.ntv.de