Almost nine out of ten collective bargaining employees will receive a Christmas bonus this year. The average amount has also increased slightly – but the amount varies significantly from industry to industry.
Most collective bargaining employees in Germany can look forward to a higher Christmas bonus this year. Of the employees with a collective agreement, 85.8 percent received this special payment, the Federal Statistical Office said.
On average, they receive a gross payment of 2,809 euros, according to the Federal Statistical Office. This corresponds to an increase of 2.3 percent or 62 euros compared to the previous year. However, the increase is below the inflation rate of recently 3.8 percent. This means that the Christmas bonus has fallen in real terms.
The amount varies significantly
In most industries, such as “financial and insurance services” and “construction,” more than 95 percent of employees receive a standard Christmas bonus, the statisticians write. On the other hand, in the economic sections “Provision of other economic services”, “Information and communication” and “Public administration, defence; Social Security” means less than 70 percent entitlement to a Christmas bonus, it goes on to say.
Employees in the extraction of oil and natural gas receive the highest payments of an average of 5,733 euros. In the “coking plant and mineral oil processing” area, 5,586 euros would be paid. According to the Federal Statistical Office, all employees in both areas received Christmas bonuses. The special payment is lowest in tobacco processing (564 euros) and in temporary work (380 euros).
No legal entitlement to a Christmas bonus
“The current figures show once again that the vast majority of collective bargaining employees receive Christmas bonuses,” said Malte Lübker, an expert in income analyzes at the Economic and Social Sciences Institute of the Hans Böckler Foundation. Nevertheless, many employees left empty-handed again, because in Germany only half of the employees are covered by a collective agreement. “And where there is no collective agreement, unfortunately there is often no Christmas bonus either.” In addition, the basic salaries of employers without a collective agreement are often significantly below the collective agreement level.
There is no legal entitlement to Christmas bonuses. “The entitlement to the special payment arises from the collective agreement, works agreement or employment contract,” explains the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB). A claim can also arise from the principle of equal treatment and from company practice if Christmas bonuses have been paid repeatedly without contractual provisions or agreements.
Over half receive special payments
Collective agreements do not apply to all employees in Germany. According to the latest data from statisticians, only just under half (a good 49 percent) of employees worked in a collectively agreed company last year. However, there are companies that base their payments on collective agreements without being bindingly bound to them.
According to the latest information from the DGB from last year, for which WSI data was taken into account, around 54 percent of all employees in Germany receive a special payment at the end of the year.