Strikes at BVG: Why passengers in Berlin are not compensated
In the dispute over higher wages at the BVG, further work stoppages are possible. The passenger lobby is demanding compensation. The company is now reacting.
There have already been three warning strikes. Passengers of the Berlin Transport Company (BVG) have been caught off guard three times by industrial action by the Verdi union. It is uncertain whether subways, trams and most buses will soon be at a standstill again. But one thing is clear: customers cannot expect to be compensated by the BVG during the next strike either. The BVG made this clear on Tuesday.
The demand of the Berlin passenger lobby was unequivocal. "In view of the enormous length of this strike , the BVG should consider compensating passengers as a gesture of goodwill ," said Christian Linow, spokesman for the passenger association IGEB, last week. During the third warning strike during the ongoing dispute over higher wages and salaries, which lasted from Thursday morning to Saturday morning, a large part of Berlin's local transport was paralyzed for 48 hours - twice as long as during the first two strikes.
The BVG is aware of the desire for compensation; it is not the first time it has heard it. However, the state-owned company asks for your understanding that it cannot fulfill it. The BVG now has around 1.2 million subscribers - from the school ticket, which is free for all Berlin students with a valid student ID, to the Germany ticket, which costs 58 euros a month. Calculating and paying compensation for so many customers would place a heavy burden on employees in sales and other areas for months, the BVG said on Tuesday. Customer centers and other sales outlets would be faced with a high level of consultation work.
The administrative effort would be enormous, they point out. In most cases, the amounts involved would be in the cents or low single-digit euro range, even if the next warning strike also lasted two days. BVG customers are in a different situation than, for example, long-distance passengers on Deutsche Bahn, who sometimes pay three-digit euro amounts for ICE tickets.
This does not mean that the company would not consider anything for its regular customers if the wage dispute with Verdi escalates. But they are still a long way from that. They also stressed that the BVG would like to find a good solution as soon as possible during the wage negotiations with Verdi. If this were to succeed, customers who use buses and trains on average for more than three million journeys a day would be spared further inconvenience for the foreseeable future.
The fourth round of negotiations begins this Wednesday morning in the BVG Trias building in Mitte. On Tuesday, Human Resources Director Jenny Zeller-Grothe underlined the company's desire to reach a collective agreement with the union that is acceptable to both sides. "We all need a good dose of realism," she said. The BVG asked the union to keep an eye on the framework conditions and options. The new wage agreement for the approximately 16,600 employees must not put the company in a difficult position. "Negotiations never work without compromises," warned Zeller-Grothe. "Verdi must also move."
This is how much the BVG offer would burden the company's balance sheetThe union points out that Berlin is in last place in the ranking of federal states in terms of starting salaries for drivers, with 2,807 euros gross per month without allowances. Hamburg is in first place with 3,329 euros. However, the weekly working hours in Berlin are 37.5 hours, while elsewhere it is 39 hours, stressed Zeller-Grothe. "With our current offer, we are catching up with the top group nationwide." Converted to 39 hours, Berlin would come in sixth place with 3,153 euros; without taking working hours into account, it would be eighth place (3,032 euros).
As reported, the BVG board is proposing to increase the monthly salary this year by a fixed amount of 225 euros. Over the next three years, wages and salaries are to rise by 2.5 percent each year. The Christmas bonus is to be increased by 100 euros annually. The driving service and rotating shift allowance will also be increased. The bottom line is that pay will improve by a total of 17.6 percent over the term, and by as much as 19.2 percent for drivers. The new collective agreement is to be valid for four years - retroactively from the beginning of 2025 to the end of 2028. As reported, the company believes a long term is necessary in order to be able to cushion the additional burden. According to reports, annual personnel costs will increase by 110 million euros.
Berliner-zeitung
