Tariffs: Employers reject minimum wage arbitration in construction

Tariffs: Employers reject minimum wage arbitration in construction

What is the minimum that can be earned on construction sites in the future? Employers and employees still disagree.

In the conflict over the collectively agreed minimum wage in the construction industry, the employers have rejected the arbitration award. This was announced by the industry associations HDB and ZDB shortly before the end of the declaration period this Friday in Berlin.

On the one hand, the proposed increase means an unjustifiable increase in the price of the simplest activities in the construction industry, on the other hand, the industry is looking to the future with concern because of the Ukraine war. The trade union IG BAU approved the arbitration award at the end of March.

fair competition

The construction employers have now signaled that they are open to renewed negotiations. The employers explained that there was a willingness to “agree on a uniform minimum wage for construction”. In the arbitration, 13 euros had already been mentioned.

IG BAU reacted angrily. The future of the construction industry is at stake, said federal chairman Robert Feiger in Frankfurt. The result of the rejection is the abolition of the industry minimum wage in construction. «Fair competition no longer seems to be a constant for construction companies. Because now those companies in particular have an advantage that are not bound by collective bargaining agreements.”

The President of the Federal Social Court, Rainer Schlegel, proposed in his arbitral award that the lower minimum wage be increased in three stages by 60 cents each. After that, there should be an annual automatic compensation in the amount of inflation. The higher minimum wage II for skilled workers, on the other hand, should be frozen at the current level and be eliminated entirely by the end of the year.

Until the end of 2021, the construction minimum wage I of 12.85 euros per hour and 15.70 euros for skilled workers in the west and in Berlin (minimum wage II). The lower wage limits are thus well above the statutory minimum wage of 9.82 euros per hour, which the federal government wants to increase to 12 euros from October.

Source: Stern

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