Reports from the EWC working groups

• Transportation and Logistics Working Group
  
  Issues discussed at the meeting were Project Cobra, cooperation between Railion AG and Belgian SNCB, the restructuring of Railion , now Railion Scandinavia, the situation at Railion Nederland as well as the consequences of the acquisition of British freight railway EWS and Spanish freight forwarder Transfesa.
  
  Further topics included the effects of merging Schenker Industrial Logistics (SIL) and Schenker High-Tech Logistics (SHTL) as well as the related purchase of Siemens AG’s shareholdings in SIL.

• Passenger Transport Working Group
  
  Central topics included the DB Group’s internationalisation strategy in the area of Passenger Transport and, in particular, the purchase of British Laing Rail Ltd.
  
  High-speed transport in  is a highly competitive and lucrative market. The European railway companies are preparing for the liberalisation of passenger transport in 2010 and the international competitive pressure will rise. The working group has set itself the task of keenly observing the changes arising from this altered competitive landscape.

Information and Consultation with Central Management pursuant to Section 32 of the German European Works Council Act

In addition to Diethelm Sack, Chief Financial Officer of the DB Group, a number of other representatives of the management of the DB Group were welcomed.

The issues addressed by the speakers on behalf of the employer were the possible privatisation of the DB Group, developments in Transportation and Logistics and Passenger Transport, developments in staff levels, the economic situation of the DB Group as well as the “We are DB” project on employee identification.

In particular, the planned employee participation in the partial privatisation as well as the meaningfulness of DB’s cooperation with the French state railway, SCNF, in passenger transport were the subject of discussion. DB AG’s stance at the European Social Dialogue in  was criticised. There were calls for more on-site employee involvement in the “We are DB” project.

Employee participation across Europe Working Group

In a group presentation, EWC members provided each other with information on the forms and possibilities of representing employees in their respective countries.

Other business

Employees of the DB Group from (represented by Mojca Bandel, Schenker d.d.), (represented by Viera Kovacova, Schenker s.r.o.) and (represented by Janos Balint, Schenker International) are now also represented on the EWC.

The next EWC meeting will take place in from 7 to 9 October 2008.