Monday 29 November 2021
Update
Agreement in tough collective bargaining dispute
Employees in the country get more wages
2.8 percent more money and a special corona payment of 1,300 euros: unions and employers have agreed on this after lengthy negotiations. “That was a tough argument,” says dbb boss Silberbach.
An agreement has been reached in the collective bargaining for employees in the public sector in the states except Hesse. This was announced by the Verdi union and the dbb civil servants’ association. According to this, the approximately 1.1 million tariff employees will receive “a tax-free payment under the Corona regulations in the amount of 1,300 euros” at the beginning of 2022, trainees and students receive 650 euros. As of December 1 of next year, salaries will then be increased by 2.8 percent. The collective agreement therefore has a term of 24 months. “That is a largely respectable result,” said Verdi boss Frank Werneke. “It brings tangible income improvements for a number of healthcare workers.”
Both sides had negotiated all weekend in Potsdam, but initially failed to find a common solution. Late on Sunday evening, the Verdi union and the collective bargaining community of the federal states (TdL) announced that the negotiations would be extended and should continue this morning. Top representatives from both sides then continued to negotiate throughout the night, but did not comment on the status of the talks when asked.
“That was a tough argument,” said dbb boss Ulrich Silberbach about the collective agreement according to the announcement. The TdL had previously blocked every possibility of agreement over three rounds of negotiations with its demand to structurally worsen the classification of all colleagues over the work process. “We were finally able to break this knot today. Since the TdL is suing the Federal Constitutional Court anyway, we are waiting for this decision and then, if necessary, discuss the necessary consequences. However, we could have agreed on that much earlier.”
Since October, employee representatives have been negotiating with the federal states about better pay for their employees. These are, for example, employees of university clinics, the police, fire departments, daycare centers and schools. Verdi and the Beamtenbund dbb demanded a wage increase of five percent, but at least 150 euros more per month – for employees in the health care sector 300 euros. Reference was made to the increased consumer prices and the particular burdens for employees in the corona pandemic. The federal states had described the demands as unrealistic and referred to high pandemic-related expenditures to support the health care system, the economy and the municipalities.
The result is to be transferred to the 1.2 million officials. Employers and trade unions already achieved a degree in October 2020 for the public service of the federal government and municipalities. According to this, these approximately 2.3 million employees get a total of 3.2 percent more money in two steps.