Around 2.5 million employees are affected by collective bargaining for the federal and local governments – and many more people are affected by possible strikes. Verdi and the Civil Service Association have clear demands.
The Verdi union and the civil service association dbb are demanding eight percent more income for federal and local public sector employees – but at least 350 euros per month. This is the central demand for the upcoming collective bargaining, as the unions announced. The employer side had promised significantly less.
“It will definitely be long nights again,” said dbb boss Ulrich Silberbach. The demands are ambitious, but by no means too high. There was a shortage of half a million people in the public sector. Many colleagues therefore suffered from overwork. If competitive working and income conditions are not ensured, there is also the risk of losing out in competition with the private sector.
Verdi boss Frank Werneke emphasized: “We as unions are firmly convinced that it is necessary to stabilize domestic demand across all collective bargaining areas. And the public service is part of this task.” Everything must be done to make the public service more attractive. “In addition to more money, this also includes more time sovereignty and more relief.”
Three additional days off – four for union members
The unions’ other demands include three additional days off for everyone and another day off for union members. Employees should be able to use a working time account to decide whether they want to be paid overtime or whether it should be booked into the account. According to the unions, trainees and interns should receive 200 euros more per month. There should be higher bonuses in particularly stressful jobs, such as in the health sector.
Educators, bus drivers and firefighters affected
The unions negotiate for a number of professional sectors – including women and men who work as educators, bus drivers, pool employees, firefighters, nurses and geriatric nurses, administrative employees, sewage treatment plant employees, foresters or doctors. Around 2.5 million collective bargaining employees are affected, the majority of whom work in municipalities. The current collective agreement expires after two years at the end of the year.
After a period of twelve months, the unions want the matter to be renegotiated. According to the demand, the desired degree should be transferred to civil servants at the same time and with the same content. Negotiations are held separately for state employees.
With their demand, Verdi and dbb are slightly higher than the demand for the wage round in the metal and electrical industry. IG Metall had demanded seven percent more money.
The employer side had brought a significantly smaller plus into play
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the unions’ demands were very high. “The budget situation is and remains tense, especially in the municipalities. Now it’s about us coming to a fair agreement at the negotiating table together with the unions from the end of January 2025,” emphasized the SPD politician. The public service employees ensured that the state was strong and able to act.
The President of the Association of Municipal Employers’ Associations (VKA), Gelsenkirchen Mayor Karin Welge, pointed out that inflation was recently 1.6 percent. The wage demands and the three additional days off alone would mean additional costs for municipal employers totaling 14.88 billion euros. “It’s simply not possible and doesn’t fit into this time,” says Welge. In the “Tagesspiegel” she had already brought up a benchmark figure of two percent more.
Werneke rejected a collective agreement in this area: “Believing that you could achieve a collective bargaining result of the order of two percent is beyond good and evil.” Further interviews of this kind will lead to an increase in the willingness to take industrial action, said Silberbach.
In the negotiations over the collective agreement that is now expiring, the unions achieved the largest wage increase in the public sector in decades in spring 2023. This was intended to cushion the drastic rise in consumer and energy prices at the time.
Verdi regularly shut down city administrations and swimming pools
The unions entered the negotiations two years ago with, among other things, a demand for an income increase of 10.5 percent. Ultimately, they agreed with the federal and local governments on tax- and duty-free special payments totaling 3,000 euros, a base amount of 200 euros and then 5.5 percent more. During the negotiations, Verdi regularly paralyzed city administrations, public pools, garbage disposals and hospitals with warning strikes.
Negotiations will begin on January 24th in Potsdam. Completion is scheduled for mid-March.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
