In the middle of the debate about a possible worsening shortage of nursing staff, the federal government announced that working conditions in the industry should be significantly improved. The Federal Ministry of Labor and the Federal Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday that the minimum wages for employees in geriatric care in Germany should gradually increase noticeably from September 1st. The increase is based on a recommendation from the nursing commission, which they unanimously agreed on the increase, it said.
“Nursing and caregivers are technically highly competent – that must also be reflected in the payment,” said Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD). A significantly higher minimum wage for care is central to this. “The profession will only remain attractive if tariffs and more are the norm in care. We will ensure that,” said Lauterbach. Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil (SPD) spoke of important steps “to noticeably improve working conditions”. The pandemic and its consequences have shown “that our society does not work without nurses”. Heil now wants to make the recommendations binding by regulation.
According to this, the minimum wages for unskilled workers are to rise gradually by the end of 2023 from the current twelve to 14.15 euros, for qualified unskilled workers from 12.50 to 15.25 euros and for nursing staff from 15 euros to 18.25 euros. Around 1.2 million employees in Germany work in facilities where the minimum nursing wage applies. Nursing staff in private households are not affected, where the general statutory minimum wage of currently 9.82 euros per hour applies. However, the federal government is also planning to raise the general minimum wage to twelve euros on October 1st.
In addition, the nursing staff should receive more vacation time than the statutory entitlement. For employees with a 5-day week, there should be an additional seven days for 2022 and nine days each for 2023 and 2024. The employees in geriatric care were exposed to particular stress during the pandemic, for example they had to work in protective clothing, many residents of old people’s homes died, colleagues were absent due to corona infections. The extra vacation days should now create a certain balance.
According to Cornelia Prüfer-Storcks, Ministry of Labor Commissioner for the Nursing Commission, the increase in minimum wages is the strongest increase for nursing staff to date. Last year, the number of people employed in care had fallen by several thousand, with experts and stakeholders blaming the heavy workload as the main factor responsible for this.
According to the latest figures from the Federal Employment Agency (BA), however, the number of people employed in care has increased significantly again. From the start of the pandemic in spring 2020 to summer 2021, around 40,000 people were employed in nursing and around 10,000 in geriatric care. The shortage of nursing staff is nevertheless an ongoing issue because the number of people in need of care has risen sharply and is likely to continue to rise. The situation could be aggravated by the mandatory vaccination that is due in mid-March, which also applies in care facilities. It could mean that unvaccinated people are no longer allowed to work or resign themselves.
According to the employers’ association, the relatives will have to pay for the additional expenses
The Nursing Commission consists of eight representatives from employers and employees in the sector. The churches, which have their own tariff system, are also represented. The decisions of the commission must be implemented by the federal government by ordinance. From the point of view of the employers in the German Caritas Association, the agreement shows that the care commission system works well even under time pressure. The care commission was only reappointed last December at the instigation of Labor Minister Heil, after a nationwide collective agreement in geriatric care failed last February due to resistance from the Caritas association.
The Protestant social association Diakonie also praised the recommendations. The board member responsible for social policy, Maria Loheide, said it was imperative to improve staffing as well. The nursing employers’ association pointed out that the increase in minimum wages was not covered by nursing care insurance. “Because of the additional costs, care companies will be able to invest less and in the end it is primarily those in need of care and their families who have to pay for the additional expenses through higher personal contributions,” explained President Thomas Greiner.