EVG trade union in favor of bodycams on trains
According to the railroad and transport union EVG, verbal and physical attacks are becoming an increasing problem on buses and trains. The union is therefore campaigning for employees on trains to be equipped with bodycams. At a joint press conference with EVG boss Martin Burkert on Tuesday, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) also expressed his openness to such considerations.
The use of bodycams, which could be switched on at the start of disputes, had already been successfully tested, said the minister. "Everyone depends on mobility and everyone depends on those who organize it on a daily basis being happy and motivated to continue doing so in the future," said Wissing.
With a new poster campaign, the ministry and the EVG want to call for more respect in the coming months. The posters will use phrases such as "A good place for railroad courtesy" to encourage people to show more respect and consideration for others in both road and rail transport.
EVG boss: rising trend in verbal attacks
Burkert said that verbal and physical assaults against rail employees occur on a daily basis - and the trend is rising. "In the stations, on the buses, on the trains - all employees who wear a uniform in any way are affected," said the EVG boss. He cited the 9-euro ticket with many significantly fuller trains and the coronavirus pandemic as reasons for the upward trend.
The forms of assault are diverse. For example, Wissing reported cases of passengers preventing rail employees from closing the service office with one foot in the door so that they could still be served after opening hours. "This is completely unacceptable," said Wissing.
According to Burkert, the number of verbal attacks, including spitting, has increased fivefold in the past ten years. "The number of unreported cases is enormous, up to 70 percent do not report verbal assaults," said Burkert. According to Deutsche Bahn, just over 3,100 assaults on employees of the Group were recorded in 2022, half of which involved train staff on regional services.
Wissing: trend towards more attacks makes society weaker
According to Burkert, the new campaign fits in with other offensives, such as the "Never forget, a person works here" campaign by the German Trade Union Confederation DGB. In addition to traffic, this initiative also explicitly refers to attacks against rescue workers. Wissing emphasized that such incidents must be taken very seriously in general, "because such a development makes our society weaker."
- To better address the escalating issue of verbal and physical attacks on train staff, the Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing supports the EVG's proposal to equip train attendants with bodycams.
- It was revealed at the press conference that the use of bodycams, activated during disputes, has proven effective in reducing incidents of aggression towards railroad employees.
- In the past decade, there's been a fivefold increase in reported verbal attacks on train staff, with many more cases going unreported, according to EVG boss Martin Burkert.
Source: www.dpa.com
