Trade union Verdi and the Municipal Employers' Association (KAV) have reached a tariff agreement for 2,800 employees in public transport in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The fifth round of negotiations concluded with this deal. It includes reduced weekly hours and pay rises until 2029.
Verdi and the KAV announced in the evening that negotiations for public transport employees in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern had successfully concluded. The agreement runs until December 31, 2029.
Weekly working hours will drop from 39 to 38. Pay will rise by 2.5 percent in 2028 and 2029, or at least 100 euros. The annual bonus payment increases to 92.5 percent next year from 85 percent. Employees will receive the 1,000-euro relief premium from the black-red coalition in August.
Verdi had initially demanded 35 hours per week with full pay compensation and a 100 percent annual bonus. Nationwide warning strikes at the end of February backed these demands: Buses from several operators did not run, and trams in Schwerin stayed in depots.
Sascha Bähring, Verdi-Nord lead negotiator, said: «We fought hard for this result. It is good and acceptable for both sides.» Carola Freier, the association's managing director, noted that the deal «goes to the absolute limit of what is feasible for employers» but provides planning security through its long term.
