A recent vote by Deutsche Bahn (DB) employees affiliated with the GDL (Gewerkschaft Deutscher Lokomotivführer) has yielded surprising results concerning planned adjustments to working hours and compensation. Originally, a negotiated agreement stipulated that, beginning January 1, 2026, locomotive drivers, train conductors and maintenance personnel would work fewer hours – reducing from 38 to 37 hours per week – while maintaining their current salary. A phased reduction to 35 hours per week is scheduled by 2029.
Employees were given the option to opt-out of the reduced hours and instead receive increased compensation. Between now and June 30th, they were asked to choose whether to allow the GDL-negotiated automatic reduction in working hours to take effect, or to prioritize receiving higher wages.
The participation rate was high, with nearly 70% of eligible employees casting their votes. The results indicated that over 90% of full-time shift workers with GDL membership selected the option for increased compensation, effectively overriding the initially planned reduction in working hours.
Deutsche Bahn considers this outcome positively, citing an internal document that suggests the overall impact on upcoming schedules will be “plus minus zero”. This implies no anticipated reduction in capacity, representing a significantly favorable outcome given initial GDL demands that had previously warned of a potential shortfall of up to 1,000 full-time positions.
The results have prompted questions regarding the alignment of earlier GDL negotiation strategies with the preferences of the broader employee base, particularly concerning the pursuit of a 35-hour work week. Despite the shift in priorities, employees still benefit from an increase of 2.7% in their wage for each hour of work they choose not to reduce.