Collective agreements

Germany (companies with about 98% of domestic employees).
¹⁾ The figures for employees on individual contracts primarily include executives, employees paid above the wage agreement level (known as non-tariff employees) and employees with individual contractual agreements.

In addition to country-specific legislation, the working conditions and pay for our employees primarily follow the collective bargaining agreements that have been concluded with the respectively responsible trade unions. In principle, the collective bargaining agreements apply to employees in Germany. The activities of civil servants in DB Group are based on statutory allocation under Article 2, Section 12 of the Rail Restructuring Act (Eisenbahnneuordnungsgesetz). The same collective wage agreement provisions within DB Group therefore apply on this basis to civil servants, insofar as the legal regulations governing civil servants do not conflict with this.

Germany (companies with about 98% of domestic employees).

The share of employees subject to collective bargaining agreements remains virtually unchanged at a very high level.

Social and fringe benefits

DB Group offers all employees fair, performance-based and non-discriminatory pay, which is reviewed on a regular basis. In addition to offering compensation, an employer-financed company pension scheme and support for private provision, we also offer a wide range of social and fringe benefits. The social partners (Bahn-Sozialwerk, Bahn-Betriebskasse, Verband Deutscher Eisenbahner Sportvereine, DEVK-Versicherungen and Sparda-Banken) offer benefits packages for our employees. In cooperation with the foundation family, we offer our employees a range of childcare options and extensive support in caring for family members.

Work-life balance

Germany (companies with approximately 99% of domestic employees).

The number of external temporary workers increased slightly, but is still well below the pre-Covid-19 level.

DB Group offers various part-time models. This supports a better balance between career and family.

The share of employees with permanent employment contracts remained very high at about 94% (in Germany: around 96%).

Executive employees and employees not covered by collective wage agreements

The variable compensation of executives, employees under collective bargaining agreements and those not employed under collective bargaining agreements is geared towards the Strong Rail targets. Variable remuneration is based on a set of key figures consisting of key qualitative and quantitative indicators, such as customer satisfaction, punctuality, employee satisfaction, women in management, EBIT and – depending on the contract level – personal performance or the reduction of CO₂e emissions.

• To improve work-life balance, executives and employees not subject to collective wage agreements are able to take a sabbatical. We also support the provision of part-time executive employment and interim management.
• The “Special semi-retirement for executives in DB Group” program is intended to reduce executives’ individual workload while maintaining the employability of older executives until the statutory retirement age.
• Employer-financed contributions to the company pension plan are used to ensure post-employment benefits for executives and employees not subject to collective wage agreements.
• The BahnCard and car-sharing services offer executives an environmentally friendly alternative to a company car.

Measures against discrimination

We are committed to a working environment that is free from discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment. Every incident is dealt with specifically and individually in order to ensure the correct course of action and to support those affected in a trusting manner. Capable assistance for clarifying and handling conflict situations is available from the intra-Group ombudsperson for all employees, in addition to the rules in the Group Employer/Works Council Agreements (Konzern­betriebsvereinbarung; KBV), such as the KBV for equal treatment and protection against discrimination, the KBV for inclusion or the framework KBV for balancing work, family and life stage, as well as directives such as those on the Federal General Act on Equal Treatment (Allgemeines Gleichheitsbehandlungsgesetz) and on company integration management, or compliance directives. The focus in all this is on non-bureaucratic and independent extrajudicial settlement of conflicts. The ombudsperson coordinates the intra-Group pool of mediators. In addition, the topics of avoiding unconscious bias and dealing with discrimination are anchored in the training offered by the DB Executive Academy.

Inclusion and reintegration measures

Preventive operational integration management, based on a legal framework, is supplemented by two additional procedures contained in the framework guidelines. Based on the collective bargaining agreement, company integration management and the procedures in the case of temporary non-suitability govern the continued employment of employees with permanent or limited impairments to their ability to work. Our principles for the successful inclusion of employees with disabilities are anchored in the Group works council agreement (KBV) on inclusion. We also record our measures to promote inclusion in the Rail Action Plan and thus implement the concerns of the National Action Plan and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Occupational safety and health management

To help combat the Covid-19 pandemic, we have set up our own vaccination centers and are also offered vaccinations through our occupational medical service. A total of 35,000 vaccinations have been carried out in ten DB vaccination centers and 20 other ias AG occupational medical service facilities as of year-end 2022. Following an EU-wide tender, the occupational medical service contract has been awarded to four service providers. The capacity and resource management of the occupational medical service providers is being digitalized as part of this realignment, thereby playing a part in the design of a modern occupational safety and health management framework. A significant milestone has been reached with the introduction of an IT platform that links the occupational medical service, occupational health and safety, accident management and hazardous substance management.

Our occupational health and safety policy is designed to continuously decrease the number and severity of accidents. In 2022, the planned adjustments were made to the framework guidelines on occupational health and safety. The binding standards in the framework guidelines on occupational health and safety are defined in the Group directive on risk minimization, which is contained in the management handbook. The framework guidelines on occupational health and safety flesh out the key company obligations that are specified in accordance with sections 1 –13 of the German Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG). For example, in the “Occupational health and safety in DB Group” guidelines, the design of a management system including setting up an occupational health and safety committee (ASA) is required for each DB company. In contrast, the “Risk assessment” guideline describes the fact that a risk assessment must be carried out and documented, taking into account the SAP EH&S IT application in order to ensure the health and safety of employees. The documented risk assessment must be checked regularly and as necessary (for example changes to workflows). The previous measures (for example employee training) are defined or updated in accordance with a predefined procedure for determining and assessing risks (including one-sided dynamic work with incorrect loads, electric shock, stress and noise pollution). In addition, framework guide­­­lines are in place to flesh out the Ordinance on Preventive Occupational Healthcare. In addition to the provisions on compulsory and optional provision of preventive healthcare, all employees may, in accordance with the framework guidelines on occupational healthcare, propose the provision of optional healthcare at any time if they fear a (negative) interaction between work and their health. The use of contractors and temporary workers (including the instruction of external persons by the external firm, the provider or hirer of temporary workers) is dealt with by the “Occupational health and safety when using contractors and temporary workers.” Regular testing of electrical systems and equipment is ensured by the “Work on or near electrical systems and operating equipment” framework guidelines.

In addition, measures to improve the quality of preventive occupational health and safety for the Integrated Rail System in the sense of zero accident were further developed in the occupational health and safety working group. Learning governance was tested together with the Learning@DB project to set up Group-wide portfolio management for qualifications for employer obligations. The subsequent bundling of training measures and the development of a learning offer for the Integrated Rail System improves quality, increases the awareness of responsible persons with employer obligations and provides greater transparency in DB Group’s learning environment through a modern culture of learning.

The joint zero-accident occupational health and safety strategy has, for the Integrated Rail System, the strategic objective of ensuring “no work accidents or work-related illnesses.” The top priority is to avoid fatal and severe occupational accidents and occupational illnesses. If a fatal or severe occupational accident nevertheless occurs, we cooperate closely with the competent authorities and do everything possible to prevent similar causes of accidents in future. We are represented in the Zero Accident Forum of the German Statutory Accident Insurance’s Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (Institut für Arbeitsschutz der Deutschen Gesetzlichen Unfallversicherung; IFA). The forum is a network of companies that enables them to learn from one other so that they can reduce the number of accidents at work, including commuting accidents, to zero.

Germany (companies with about 98% of domestic employees).

A strong wave of colds and flu, both at the beginning and end of 2022, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic, also led to high non-attendance in DB Group in 2022. In addition, the added burden on our employees due to the 9-Euro-Ticket led to a very high sickness rate.

¹⁾ Worldwide (companies with about 98% of employees).
²⁾ Germany (companies with about 98% of domestic employees).
³⁾ Lost time injury frequency = LTIF (work accidents that cause the employee to be absent for longer than one calendar day) 1,000,000/working hours.

Compliance with internal standards and national laws serve to protect employees. Safe work and healthy employees make an important contribution here. Digital events and active communication measures on the topic of occupational health and safety were implemented to achieve the goal of raising awareness about safety and personal responsibility. We are continuously working to optimize safety. With lost time injury frequency (LTIF), we have established an indicator to aid us in further reducing the frequency of accidents.

Fatal work accidents occurred in 2022 at DB Railway Construction Group, DB Cargo, DB Track Services, DB Regional Bus and DB Services (previous year: DB Netze Track and DB Schenker). Fatal workplace accidents at DB Group are systematically investigated in the affected business units, and any possible process-related improvements and further measures are identified and implemented.

About 65 companies in Germany are included in the LTIF calculation. A closer look at the LTIF reveals a differentiated picture, also in an international comparison, as all areas of activity within the DB Group are included in the calculation. Our goal within the scope of our occupational health and safety policy is to continuously and sustainably reduce the LTIF. Our zero-accident measures play a role in this. We involve the DB companies in the Occupational Health and Safety Working Group, thereby promoting an overall culture of safety to ensure the safety of our employees. The LTIF in Germany is at the same level as in the previous year.

In 2023, we intend to drive forward new digital formats (for example to select and manage the personal protective equipment (PPE)product range). We are working continuously to place greater emphasis on executives’ responsibility and their function as role models. We have therefore developed further learning opportunities for executives as part of the occupational health and safety strategy for the Integrated Rail System.

Occupational health and safety committees at DB Group

In Germany, companies (production facilities, branches, works council voting areas (Wahlbetriebe)) with 20 employees or more are legally required to have an occupational health and safety committee (Arbeits­schutzausschuss). In DB Group, more than 75% of employees are represented on occupational health and safety committees.