Status: 04/22/2023 3:40 p.m
In the collective bargaining dispute in the public sector at federal and local level, the arbitration commission had presented an arbitration award – the recommendation has been negotiated since Saturday.
In Potsdam they will Collective bargaining for the federal and local public service based on the outcome of the arbitration. The Federal Ministry of the Interior announced this on Tuesday. It is therefore about the remuneration for the employees of the federal and municipal employers whose employment relationships are regulated by the collective agreement for the public service (TVöD). On the other hand, civil servants, judges and soldiers do not negotiate. During the time of arbitration, there is a peace obligation.
Mediation proposal: 5.5 percent more money and one-off payment
The arbitrators used by employers and trade unions propose a base amount of 200 euros and a subsequent increase of 5.5 percent – at least 340 euros. This should apply from March 2024. Even before this, the employees are to be paid a staggered amount of EUR 3,000 in compensation for inflation. The arbitration recommendation provides for a term of 24 months with effect from January 2023.
Ver.di: Arbitration award only basis for new negotiations
How is this compromise proposal received by the social partners? The arbitral award will first be assessed, said Tobias Morchner, spokesman for the ver.di Lower Saxony-Bremen district, after the announcement of the recommendation for NDR Lower Saxony. Everything else then happens at the negotiating table. Andrea Wemheuer, head of the ver.di Lower Saxony-Bremen district, says the same thing. She sees no result in the arbitration, but only a basis on which further negotiations must now be carried out. Frank Zitka, spokesman for the civil servants’ association dbb, did not want to comment on the arbitration commission’s proposal.
Employers describe demands as unaffordable
In March had each other In Lower Saxony, thousands took part in the nationwide warning strike by the unions ver.di and EVG, but in three rounds of negotiations unions and employers had so far negotiated the incomes of 2.5 million employees without a result. Ver.di and the civil servants’ association dbb had demanded 10.5 percent more income, but at least 500 euros more per month. According to the union, this amount is intended to compensate for the high inflation for people with lower incomes. The employers rejected the demands of the unions as unaffordable. According to Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), they offered eight percent more income and a minimum amount of 300 euros and a one-off payment of 3,000 euros. They want a term of 27 months.
Collective bargaining: agreement or indefinite strike?
The arbitration could result in an agreement if both sides accept the arbitration award. According to ver.di, if the negotiations on the Commission’s recommendation fail, there could be a forced strike in the public sector for the first time in 31 years. The union is already preparing to hold a strike ballot on an indefinite strike. In the end, all companies were looking for strike helpers who would approach their colleagues and question them in the event of a ballot being held in their companies and departments.
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