Transport Minister Wissing Rejects Intervention in Railway Wage Dispute

Amid the newly reignited tariff dispute of the German Train Drivers' Union, Federal Minister of Transport Volker Wissing has clarified that the federal government does not intend to directly intervene in the affairs of Deutsche Bahn. In a conversation with the ARD capital studio, the minister emphasized the necessity for the railway, although owned by the federal government, to act independently as a market player and to conduct the wage negotiations as such. Wissing expressed the view that it is not the role of the federal government to act as a mediator in tariff disputes. Instead, he appealed to the responsibility of the bargaining parties to settle their differences within the existing system of wage autonomy. In doing so, he spoke of the importance of awareness of a collective social responsibility that transcends individual interests. This stance marks a significant contrast to past events. In 2008, the then Federal Minister of Transport Wolfgang Tiefensee intervened in a similar conflict and contributed to the outlining of a wage settlement. The then head of Deutsche Bahn, Hartmut Mehdorn, later expressed reservations about this intervention and its impact on entrepreneurial freedom. Transport Minister Wissing's decision sheds light on the delicate balance between political responsibility and entrepreneurial independence of state-owned enterprises and stands as a current example of the complex challenges faced by state actors in the economic sphere.