The 2023 collective bargaining negotiations between DB Group and the Railway and Transport Workers Union (EVG) came to an end on July 26, 2023, with a recommended settlement forming part of a conciliation procedure. This was followed by a ballot of the EVG, in which the trade union members accepted the outcome of the conciliation. The settlement recommendation recognizes the tremendous achievements and successful work of DB Group employees. The term of 25 months through to the end of March 2025 provides planning security. At the same time, the recommendation includes numerous contributions to improving competitiveness, thus maintaining DB Group’s readiness for the future.

The collective bargaining agreement includes an inflation adjustment bonus of € 2,850, wage increases totaling € 410 per month in two stages, restructured remuneration tables for certain service providers and special regulations for bus companies, as well as additional wage increases for employees in key rail-specific professions.

We acknowledge social changes and the wishes of employees when organizing working hours. Our efforts to continuously improve flexibility in working hours help to increase our attractiveness as an employer and are therefore of great importance for employee retention and recruitment.

• With the elective working hours model, employees can decide whether to reduce their working hours by one or two hours per week, have six or 12 additional vacation days per year or receive a higher salary.
• Our employees have several options for their use of overtime. In addition to the classic options of administrative leave or remuneration, employees covered by collective bargaining agreements can add time credit from overtime, as well as vacation days and remuneration, to an individual long-term time account and take paid leave at a later date. Care is taken to ensure that statutory regulations concerning working hours are observed. In addition, overtime is only allowed with both parties’ consent.
• With employer-financed contributions to the DEVK pension fund, DB Group offers an attractive retirement pension to supplement the statutory pension.
• Employees covered by collective bargaining agreements are also able, by request, to convert time credits from overtime, additional vacation for rotating shift work, shift work and night work, or vacation under a collective bargaining agreement in excess of statutory vacation into the company pension plan (CPP) in full or in part, allowing them to save for their retirement. Conversion to the CPP are additionally supported by DB Group.
• In the companies with shift and rotating shift work, we are strengthening the participation of employees in the planning and individualization of working hours within the framework of operational working hours projects.

With our digital housing exchange, we are making it easier for our employees to access affordable housing. We have also further intensified our cooperation with housing companies. We concluded cooperation agreements with six housing companies that provide our employees with access to a pool of about 600,000 apartments. In addition, there are temporary, furnished housing offers for employees in six cities in Germany, in the form of residential homes and apartments. These comprise approximately 700 beds. In addition, we analyze the needs of our employees in order to be able to plan specific housing projects in the future and implement them if necessary.

We aim to offer our employees a varied, green, flexible and simple mobility portfolio that consists primarily of DB’s own services. DB company bikes, an employee discount for our bike sharing service Call a Bike and the travel discounts form the foundation for this. Employees not subject to collective wage agreements and executive employees can also choose a mobility budget (using the Bonovo app) and BahnCard 100 as alternatives to company cars. We also provide our employees with access to favorable offers for the monthly transport association job ticket or the Germany-Ticket for their commute to work and finance these, in part or in full, depending on the specific circumstances.

We are consistently taking further steps towards establishing new and flexible forms of collaboration. Since 2021, mobile work has been an integral component of everyday work for employees and executives with office activities. In addition, desk sharing and an activity-oriented office concept, with workshop rooms to foster collaboration, are being gradually introduced at all office locations throughout Germany.

We support the health of our employees from a holistic perspective and combine targeted offers for physical, mental and social health through company medical care and occupational psychological care. This covers, for example, stress management, exercise, nutrition and professional support for mental disorders. Our employees can contact their executives at any time without any formal process if they have individual needs in terms of occupational health. A Group-wide HR operation model and the resulting regular exchange between the operational executive and human resources department ensure that managers have sufficient information on the suitable health services. Access to company health promotion services is therefore available to all employees at all times and with low thresholds.

Aspects of occupational health and safety at DB Group are not centrally set up, but are integrated together into the business activities and taken into account within the management systems of DB companies.

The binding standards in the framework directives on occupational health and safety are defined in the Group direc­­tive on risk minimization, which is contained in the management handbook. The medical and psychological suitability framework directive defines rules for determining medical and psychological suitability. The aim is to be able to deploy applicants and employees in accordance with the health requirements of their activities and thus ensure the safety of rail and bus operations as well as third parties. The occupational health and safety manual complies with government and autonomous occupational health and safety regulations and contains a summary of the framework directives, appendices and forms for health and safety in the workplace for all employees in the Integrated Rail System. Manual components cover, among other things, occupational health and safety in DB Group, utilization of external companies, deployment abroad, biomaterials, activities involving hazardous materials, work in the rail area, personal protective equipment, procedure in the case of work accidents and commuting accidents, as well as work on or near electrical systems.