The wage settlement reached by the German Railway Drivers' Union (GDL) with Deutsche Bahn will help governments shift the costs of rearmament and war onto the working class. GDL boss Klaus Weselski has exaggeratedly described it as a reduction in working hours while maintaining full wages, but in reality the opposite is true: real wages have decreased and working hours have increased. It is an unrestricted “working hours corridor'' that leads to lower wages.
The German government speaks of a “sociopolitical tipping point,” meaning that the costs of the war are being imposed on the working class through cuts in wages and social provisions. The outcome of the GDL negotiations meets this requirement.
For the first nine months (from the contract end date of October 31, 2023, retroactive to the end of July 2024), the union agreed to a salary freeze. If he is able to meet his initial monthly demand of 555 euros, his income will increase by 4,995 euros. Instead, an inflation compensation “bonus” of 2,850 euros will be paid in two installments.
These lump sums are not incorporated into your base salary and therefore have no impact on future jointly agreed salaries. Considering a period of 26 months, the increase is only 194 euros per month instead of the original demand of 555 euros. At best, this will make up for the current rate of inflation, but at least it will not make up for the huge loss in real wages over the past two years, amounting to 12%. This means that wages will remain well below pre-pandemic levels in the long term.
The introduction of the so-called “working hour corridor”, which will be accompanied by the gradual reduction of standard working hours from 38 hours to 35 hours from 2026 to 2029, will directly lead to a decrease in real wages. To make ends meet, train drivers will need to work longer hours in the future, rather than less.
Continued losses in purchasing power will force workers to extend their working hours, even as labor pressures increase. Older colleagues who are no longer able to do this will have to accept a lower income, but can continue to work within their capacity.
conservatives die welt Therefore, he was overjoyed and wrote: But it's not up to the mark. A look at the real problems in Germany and France shows that a 35-hour work week can actually lead to more balanced work and better performance. ”
Springer says France has officially had a 35-hour work week since 2000, “but in practice the French work more efficiently than Germans (1,520 hours a year compared to 1,349).” points out. The reason: “The 35-hour week is not an upper limit, as in the future Deutsche Bahn.'' The working-time corridor introduced by the 35-hour week can be further opened up at any time in view of “sociopolitical transformations.'' , which can lead to a significant increase in weekly working hours.
Long-term contracts exceeding two years are also related to war policy. Germany is increasingly becoming a logistics hub for NATO. The government wants to ensure that the transport of weapons, military equipment and troops by rail runs smoothly and is not disrupted by strike action by train drivers.
GDL has agreed to refrain from striking for an extended period after the contract expires at the end of 2025. They agreed to a labor truce for the next two months. If no agreement is reached within this period, the parties cannot declare failure, but should consider arbitration. Strikes are prohibited during this period as collective agreements are also in place.
In other words, these collective agreements tie the hands of the workers behind their backs and, in conditions of rapid war development, aim to deprive strategically important sections of the working class the opportunity to strike.
War and rearmament are the reactions of the ruling class to the severe international crisis of capitalism. Therefore, they are not temporary phenomena. After decades of enriching the stock market, impoverishing large segments of the population, and increasing economic conflict, capitalism is on the brink of an outbreak of large-scale violence. Imperialist powers are once again pursuing their economic and geopolitical interests by military means.
A war abroad necessarily means a war at home, against the working class. In this dispute, trade unions stand firmly on the side of the government and employers. GDL leader Klaus Wesselski, a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), like all trade union leaders, believes that the cost of armament will be met by cuts in wages and social spending and increased levels of exploitation. I agree with the government that this should be done. At work.
Given the railroad drivers' determination to fight, Weselski used the trade union apparatus to fragment their resistance into futile temporary warning strikes. In mid-December, 97% of affected GDL members voted in favor of an indefinite all-out strike. However, the GDL leadership refused to organize it and agreed to an agreement that represented major reforms.
We need to face the reality that there is no way forward with the GDL and other trade unions. Highly paid officials in union offices view economic events in the same light as executives on corporate boards and stock market speculators. They subordinate the needs of workers and society to corporate profits.
A fundamental reorientation and reorganization of society is required. Combating the reduction in real wages and ever-increasing amounts of work, defending jobs, and fighting wars require a socialist perspective and an international strategy. The needs of the working class and society are prioritized over corporate and bank profits.
The nationalist policies of the trade unions, which work closely with governments and support their pro-war policies, must be countered by the international cooperation of the working class, regardless of nationality, origin or color. .
This is why the establishment of an independent General Action Committee is so important and urgent. Only in this way will it be possible for workers (union and non-union alike) to oppose the logic of the capitalist profit-making economy and the dictatorship of trade union structures. Only in this way can workers organize their own industrial action, develop international cooperation and develop the political confidence necessary to debate socialist perspectives.
Train drivers and the working class as a whole must fight against the “tipping point” of the ruling class with their own strength. There must be an end to continued cuts and worsening conditions that are sold as 'compromise'. Workers must fight for an anti-capitalist, socialist perspective.
To do this, the Action Committee is calling on all railway workers to join a joint online meeting next Tuesday, April 2nd at 7pm on the GDL wage settlement, its consequences and next steps. discuss. Save the meeting address: https://meet.wsws.org/Aktionskomitee
Contact the Railway Activities Committee via Whatsapp (+49-163-337 8340) and register using the form below.
