How much money do train drivers actually earn?
Despite a new round of talks between Deutsche Bahn and the GDL, the signs are once again pointing to strike action. At its core, the conflict is about money. This raises the question of how much train drivers are currently being paid.
This article begins with a disappointment. You won't get an answer here (or anywhere else) as to what train drivers earn at Deutsche Bahn. The reason is simple - and at the same time very complicated: Hardly any pay slip for the 20,000 or so men and women in the driver's cab is likely to be the same as another.
The monthly wage is too complex. The framework collective agreement between the GDL and the Move employers' association provides for a basic monthly salary of 3127 euros, which rises to 3825 euros (gross in each case) with more professional experience. Deutsche Bahn also offers bonuses such as Christmas bonuses and bonuses.
However, many train drivers are not organized in the GDL, but are members of the larger Eisenbahn- und Verkehrsgewerkschaft (EVG). It has negotiated its own collective agreements with Deutsche Bahn, which include the option of foregoing more pay in favor of more time off - this also makes the salaries of drivers less comparable. Which collective agreement applies in which part of the widely ramified group depends on which members make up the majority in each case.
In both cases, the system is supplemented by a system of dozens of bonuses that come with the job of train driver. Trains run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so - as in other sectors - there is more money for Sunday or night work, standby duty or additional catering costs, for example. However, certain qualifications also increase the salary of train drivers, from special foreign language skills to teaching positions. There are also additional benefits such as subsidies for company pension schemes, capital-forming benefits or free travel with Deutsche Bahn.
Many train drivers are civil servants
All in all, Deutsche Bahn promises its drivers a salary of between 44,500 and 53,400 euros per year, i.e. around 3700 to 4450 euros per month.
This is roughly in line with the figures determined by independent salary comparison portals such as "kununu.com". "Most salary figures range between 38,240 and 43,680 euros," they say (equivalent to around 3200 to 3640 euros per month). The average salary of a train driver at Deutsche Bahn is therefore 40,700 euros per year (around 3400 euros per month).
The system of basic salary, bonuses and allowances graded according to service experience also applies to other (train) staff at Deutsche Bahn. The GDL framework collective agreement for conductors, for example, provides for a basic monthly salary of around 2500 to just under 3200 euros. According to Deutsche Bahn, signal box personnel can expect a monthly salary of between 3000 and 4600 euros.
In addition to the train drivers employed by Deutsche Bahn, there are still thousands of civil servants who drive railcars and locomotives in Germany. Deutsche Bahn AG took them over from Deutsche Bundesbahn after it was founded in 1994. They are still paid according to the federal salary scale. Basic pay for the middle grade ranges from just under 2,500 to 3,900 euros. This system is also supplemented by allowances and bonuses. The civil servant train drivers are not allowed to take part in possible further strikes by the GDL - and can therefore at least ensure that an emergency timetable can be maintained.
This text first appeared on stern.de
Source: www.ntv.de
