DB says that the agreement, which was reached after intense negotiations, will enable it to better manage the ongoing economic turbulence caused by Covid-19 while striking a balance to continue future investment in personnel, qualifications and recruitment.
The agreement will run from March 2021 to the end of February 2023, and covers a package of agreed terms including:
- a pay increase for staff of 1.5% from January 2022, roughly in line with inflation
- staff protection from dismissal for operational reasons for the duration of the agreement
- a commitment by DB to recruit at least 18,000 staff for 2021 and 2022, including 4400 apprentices, and
- the creation of a framework of regulations to better manage cases in which employees have been forced to take care of children or close relatives due to the pandemic.
DB also agreed to provide better rewards for employees who provide technical guidance to young employees and those in training, and to create the conditions for discounted employee tickets. In addition, a fund will be set up to improve professional mobility and support career development.
“With this tariff alliance, we are currently setting a special example of responsibility in Germany,” says DB personnel director Mr Martin Seiler. “It is a measure with a sense of proportion for secure jobs and a good education.”
The agreement follows the signing of the ‘Alliance for our Railways’ agreement in May by DB, EVG, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), the DB Works Council, and employer association AGV Move, which committed the five parties to tackling the pandemic and economic repercussions in a way which “avoids permanent structural damage to DB, support digitisation and secures current and future jobs and employment conditions.”
