Strike - Mediation draws closer in the collective bargaining dispute in the bus industry
A mediation to resolve the deadlock in the wage dispute in the private bus industry in Rhineland-Palatinate is getting closer. In conjunction with the union Verdi, it has been agreed to go into mediation, stated the managing director of the Association of Employers' Associations in the Transport Trade of Rhineland-Palatinate (VAV), Heiko Nagel, to the German Press Agency on Thursday.
The concrete framework conditions still need to be determined, such as who will be present. The wish of the VAV is for the public sector to participate, ideally the state, the municipalities as commissioners, and the special purpose associations. "That is indispensable," said Nagel.
Verdi demands in the wage dispute a monthly salary increase of 500 Euro and a one-time payment of 3000 Euro for employees. According to the employers, there can only be wage cost increases of an average of 2.5 percent without an OPNV index. The index, which is supposed to come from the Ministry of Mobility, should, among other things, ensure a more flexible balance of personnel costs through subsidies from public funds.
There have been unannounced strikes in the bus transport sector in the country in recent months. Most recently, parents had even taken to the streets in several places to protest against recurring failures in school bus services. In recent days, administrations and workshops in bus companies have been on strike.
Verdi recently spoke out in favor of converting the result of a possible mediation into arbitration. VAV representative Nagel, however, emphasized that the deliberate first step is being taken into mediation. The past months have shown that no solution will be reached in this constellation.
- The United Services Union, a partner in the mediation process, has vocalized their desire for the public sector to actively participate, including the state and municipalities, as per the request of the Association of Employers' Associations in the Transport Trade of Rhineland-Palatinate (VAV).
- The wage dispute in the Rhineland-Palatinate private bus industry, which involves a call for a monthly salary increase of 500 Euro and a one-time payment of 3000 Euro by Verdi, has led to unannounced strikes in the bus transport sector across the country.
- In an effort to resolve the ongoing wage dispute, a mediation session is being arranged between Verdi and the VAV, with the hope that a more flexible balance of personnel costs can be achieved through subsidies from public funds, as suggested by the Ministry of Mobility's OPNV index.
- The German Press Agency reported on Thursday that the managing director of VAV, Heiko Nagel, confirmed the impending mediation, stressing the importance of public sector involvement in resolving the wage dispute within the bus industry in Rhineland-Palatinate.
- The mediation process, planned for the near future, comes in response to the ongoing supply disruptions in the bus industry, such as the failure in school bus services, which led to parents taking to the streets for demonstrations in several regions.
