Rates
Collective bargaining for public services is ongoing
Members of various professional groups at a protest by the Verdi service union in Berlin. photo
© Carsten Koall/dpa
In the collective bargaining dispute in the public sector, trade unions and employers are meeting again today. The basis for the talks is the conciliation recommendation. Can a breakthrough happen?
The negotiations in the public service wage dispute continued on Saturday evening. Since midday, the federal government, the municipalities, the German civil servants’ association dbb and the Verdi trade union have been struggling to find new tariffs for the around 2.5 million employees in the federal and municipal public sector. It was still unclear whether an agreement would be reached. Should the negotiations fail, strike ballots and new strikes are threatened.
The basis for the talks was an arbitration decision published last week. The arbitration recommendation initially provides for tax and duty-free special payments of 3,000 euros in several stages. From March 2024 there will then be a base amount of 200 euros and then a wage increase of 5.5 percent. If no increase of 340 euros is achieved, the relevant increase amount should be set to this sum.
The financially weak municipalities, not only in East but also in West Germany, are skeptical about the arbitrators’ proposal. “This is an arbitration recommendation that, in terms of type and scope, clearly exceeds anything that has ever been called for in recent decades,” said Karin Welge, President of the Association of Municipal Employers’ Associations (VKA).
The trade unions, in turn, initially assessed the arbitrators’ proposal as a good basis for the fourth round of talks. Nevertheless, there is still a need for discussion, emphasized Verdi boss Frank Werneke shortly before the meeting.
In the past few months, the unions had partially paralyzed public transport, but also daycare centers, clinics and garbage disposal with massive warning strikes.