A very important strike and a very important success of German workers

Worker Movement in the 21st Century: The Victorious Strike of German Railway Workers

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Excellent news from Germany. The strikes at Deutsche Bahn have ended. The train drivers have won. They will have a shortened work week without a reduction in wages and even more. On March 26, a collective agreement was signed between the GDL union representing railway workers and the management of Deutsche Bahn.

Railway crew members will receive a bonus for inflation totaling 2850 euros, in two monthly installments. Salaries will be increased by 420 euros per month in two stages over a year. Working hours will gradually be reduced to 35 hours per week by 2030. A rule will be introduced that after five shifts/workdays, each employee is entitled to 48 hours of rest. The railway contribution to the pension fund is also to be increased.

The year-long conflict between the trade union and the railway management has been heavily felt by Germans in recent months, as they were unable to commute to school and work en masse. Additionally, since the summer of 2022, when the 9-euro ticket for the entire country caused dramatic overload and collapse of the railways, which had been recovering for several months. And truth be told, it has not fully recovered to this day. This not only frustrates…