Public service
State employees receive 5.5 percent more wages
The unions demanded 10.5 percent more income, but at least 500 euros more for the federal states’ employees. Now there is an agreement. photo
© Marijan Murat/dpa
Breakthrough after a long struggle: unions and states negotiated employees’ income for three days. Now they should get more money.
State public sector employees will receive special payments and a wage increase of 5.5 percent. The unions and the Collective Bargaining Association of German States (TdL) announced this on Saturday after three days of collective bargaining poker Potsdam with.
The inflation compensation payments amount to 3,000 euros. In December 1,800 euros should flow. From January to October 2024 there are monthly payments of 120 euros each. From November 1, 2024, the incomes of more than one million employees will increase by a base amount of 200 euros. From February 1, 2025, there will be a further wage increase of 5.5 percent. The term is 25 months until October 2025.
For the states, the agreement means additional costs of 23.9 billion, as the state negotiator, Hamburg’s Finance Senator Andreas Dressel (SPD), announced. It is an “overall challenging result”, but it is feasible over three financial years.
Verdi boss Frank Werneke said: “Overall, this is a result that allows the employees of the federal states to keep up.” After weeks of warning strikes at universities, university hospitals and other state institutions, Werneke said: “It is a result that the employees fought for themselves.” The head of the civil service association dbb, Ulrich Silberbach, was happy that the employees would now not have to go on “forced strikes”.
The conclusion corresponds to the result for the federal and local public services from April. The unions also entered this round of collective bargaining with demands for 10.5 percent more income and at least 500 euros more money for the employees. The qualification is to be transferred to civil servants – this affects more than three million employees.
According to the agreement in December, trainees and interns will receive an inflation compensation of 1,000 euros. Training fees will increase by 100 euros from November 2024 and later by another 50 euros.