One in Three Deutsche Bahn Employees May Quit Over Rising Violence

The Railway and Transport Union (EVG) has warned of layoffs at the railway company due to increasing violence. A survey of its members revealed that almost one in three employees is considering resigning. - AFP

Germany's railway and transport union EVG has warned of mass resignations at Deutsche Bahn due to rising violence. A survey of union members, reported by the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland on Friday evening, found that almost one in three employees is considering quitting, with many citing growing insecurity and violence as the main reason.

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"No company can compensate for such a massive loss of staff," warned EVG deputy chair Kristian Loroch. Deutsche Bahn responded on Saturday by pointing to a package of security measures agreed just a few weeks ago.

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Scale of the Problem

The EVG is Germany's largest railway union, with around 185,000 members. According to the RND report, 4,000 employees took part in the survey. Two thirds of respondents said they feel increasingly unsafe at work, half have already experienced a physical assault, and the large majority of customer-facing staff report verbal abuse, insults and threats on a regular basis.

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"Assaults on Deutsche Bahn staff, just like those on police, firefighters and emergency services, have been increasing for years," Deutsche Bahn confirmed. "Every form of violence is completely unacceptable." EVG deputy chair Loroch warned that the escalating violence was "throwing the entire system off balance." Railway companies and politicians must finally get a grip on the problem, he said. "Otherwise trains and buses could soon grind to a halt en masse due to staff shortages," he told RND.

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Fatal Attack Prompted Security Summit

In February, a train conductor on a regional train in Rhineland-Palatinate was brutally attacked by a passenger travelling without a valid ticket. The 36-year-old later died from his injuries. Deutsche Bahn subsequently held a security summit in mid-February, bringing together union representatives and officials from politics and the authorities. Among the measures agreed were the hiring of 200 additional Deutsche Bahn security personnel, improved protective equipment for staff, and closer cooperation with the federal police.

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