Deutsche Bahn, train drivers union reach pay deal

Germany's rail operator and a train drivers union have agreed on a new pay deal. The dispute had earlier seen three rounds of strikes.

    

Deutsche Bahn and the GDL union reached a deal following three sets of drivers' strikes

After several rail strikes that crippled Germany's nationwide train system, a deal between German railway operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the GDL train drivers' union was announced on Thursday.

The deal, announced by the premiers of the German states of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, is set to resolve railway disruptions across the country after months of deadlock between DB and GDL.

Pay raise for train drivers

The two parties agreed on a gradual 3.3% wage increase for drivers for a duration of 32 months and two bonus payments of €800 to €1,000 ($940-1,180) for each member.

Starting from December 1, a hike of 1.5% will go into effect. Another 1.8% salary increase will take effect on March 1, 2023.