dbb annual conference
Civil servants’ association warns against weakening the state
dbb chairman Ulrich Silberbach speaks at the annual meeting of the German Civil Service Association in Cologne. photo
© Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
Offices, job centers, police, courts – this is where citizens come into contact with the state. However, many people don’t trust him to carry out his duties properly – the civil service association mainly sees one reason.
Whether in job centers, daycare centers or public administration: According to the assessment, the state’s services are Civil servants’ association dbb is increasingly in danger due to a lack of staff. “The state is missing more than 550,000 employees and the situation is getting worse as the baby boomers retire,” said dbb boss Ulrich Silberbach at the dbb annual meeting in Cologne.
Over 1.3 million employees retired in the next ten years. “The personnel shortage endangers the state and administration’s ability to act,” said Silberbach. There are hardly any vacancies left to fill. “It is becoming increasingly difficult to find staff even for attractive management positions.” There are staffing problems in traditional administration, IT departments, kindergartens, city cleaning or building authorities.
Many doubt the state’s ability to act
Citizens are feeling this more and more. Only 27 percent of citizens assumed that the state was able to fulfill its tasks, said Silberbach, citing a Forsa survey commissioned by dbb.
Silberbach also called for more “political and social support”. Those affected include employees in the judiciary and prison system, police officers at large demonstrations and rescue workers. According to the Forsa survey commissioned by dbb, more than half of public sector employees have experienced verbal or physical violence. “Our colleagues blame the loss of trust in the state and the fact that the public service has been subject to wear and tear for years.” What makes matters worse is that more and more regulations are being made in ever shorter periods of time.
“It’s not enough with a thump and a double thump”
The dbb chairman called for more investment in public infrastructure. Fresh money needs to be put into education, for example, “so that schools can be renovated and teachers hired.” New routes are needed to advance the transport and energy transition. Investments must be made in the health system and in security.
Addressing the federal government and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Silberbach said: “It’s not enough to use phrases like Wumms, Doppelwumms or Deutschland-Speed.”
Government wants to strengthen public services
Interior State Secretary Bernd Krösser, who represented Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), highlighted the federal government’s efforts to strengthen the public service. “We are doing a lot at the moment to promote public service.” Working conditions have been made more flexible and hiring options expanded. It will be necessary to increasingly examine: “Which formal and non-formal requirements will we have to fulfill in the future?” Unlike in the past, many no longer wanted to remain in the public service for their entire working life.
Krösser gave little hope regarding the dbb’s urgent demand for a reduction in the weekly working hours of federal civil servants, which is now 41 hours per week. “If we reduce hours, we also have to answer the question: How do we provide services for citizens?” said Krösser.
With over 1.3 million members, the dbb is, according to its own information, the largest German interest group for civil servants and collective bargaining employees in the public service and private service sector. The 41 member unions of the dbb also include the German Locomotive Drivers’ Union (GDL), which wants to strike the railway from Wednesday after the end of the dbb conference.