- On Mondays, Verdi's public transportation services will operate buses.
Union Verdi anticipates wrapping up the signing of the collective bargaining agreement for private bus industry workers in Rhineland-Palatinate by August's end, following the lengthy negotiation marathon. The employers are expected to dispatch the mediated agreement documents to the union this week, as mentioned by Verdi representative Marko Baerschneider in Mainz. With the agreement, no further protests are planned, and buses will resume service post-summer break next week.
Representative of Rhineland-Palatinate's Employers' Associations in Transport Industry (VAV), Heiko Nagel, confirmed his approval for the swift execution of the collective bargaining agreement terms. Similar to Verdi's spokesperson, Nagel too expressed his gratitude towards the state's decision to implement the Operational Transport Vehicle (OPTV) index from 2025. However, he proposed that the index should not only be applicable to new contracts but also to existing services.
Alignment with Hesse's index
The OPTV index aims to offset costs surges for the industry, responsible for managing majority of Rhineland-Palatinate's school traffic on municipal behalf. Set to tackle the uniform cost rise across transport services, the index typically covers expenses like energy prices, vehicle maintenance, and labor costs. In other federal states, the index components include factors such as energy costs, maintenance, and labor wages. Rhineland-Palatinate is planning to align its regulations with those imposed in Hesse.
As per the Ministry of Mobility's State Secretary, Michael Hauer, a state-level meeting with employers and the union is scheduled for October. The OPTV index design will once again be discussed at this meeting, mentioned VAV's manager.
Mediation's Outcome
As per the mediation results, the new collective bargaining agreement is set to commence retroactively from January 1, 2024, for approximately 4,000 employees until the end of 2026. Bus drivers will receive a one-time payment of 2,000 euros in 2024, along with an inflation-adjusted bonus of 1,500 euros. A five percent wage hike commences from January 1, 2025, with another five percent increment valued from January 1, 2026 and yet another from October 1, 2026. Wage increments are also included for workshop and administrative staff employees.
The VAV's manager mentioned during the state-level meeting that they have agreed to align Rhineland-Palatinate's regulations with Hesse's, similarly to how the employers' association approves of the swift execution of the collective bargaining agreement terms, as mentioned by Heiko Nagel. The following is added: The newly mediated agreement includes a five-percent wage hike for bus drivers, effective from January 1, 2025, and another increase on January 1, 2026, as part of the new collective bargaining agreement.
