Wage Negotiation Mediation in Germany: A Breakdown
Negotiation initiatives commenced in the labor dispute between the federal administration and local administrations. - Government and local authorities initiate dialogue in collective labor negotiations disputes
Get ready for an update on the heated labor dispute between the federal government and municipalities in Germany! The wage negotiations have escalated to mediation, with former Hessian Minister-President Roland Koch (CDU) representing the employers and former Bremen Finance Senator Hans-Henning Luhr handling the trade unions, Verdi and German Civil Service Federation.
The mediators are tasked with spewing out a mediation result within six working days, wrapping up by the end of this weekend. You can expect the compliance recommendations from both parties to be issued at the start of the upcoming week. Negotiations on a collective agreement, based on the mediator's decision, are set to resume on April 5. During the mediation process, unions are barred from summoning any strikes.
Verdi and the German Civil Service Federation are making a ruckus, demanding a whopping 8% pay rise or at least €350 extra per month, and the conversion of overtime into three free days. Supposedly, many employees have a mountain of overtime they can't use as free time because there's a shortage of approximately 570,000 applicants for public administration positions nationwide.
Both employers and trade unions are agreeing that substantial advancements have been made in numerous minute issues during the third wage round. However, the Association of Municipal Employers' Associations threw in the towel, declaring negotiations a flop, and requesting mediation because the approximate 15 billion euro total volume of the possible collective agreement was deemed unaffordable by their members.
Here's a quick rundown of the unions' demands:- Verdi's blue-eyed monster: The union is gunning for an 8% pay hike and at least €350 more per month, plus a heftier bonus, and an extra three days off.- The Unions' Battle Cry: Verdi and the German Civil Service Federation stand up for some 2.5 million public sector workers, championing not only rises in pay but also improved working conditions and job security across various sectors like healthcare, kindergartens, and civil services.
- The mediators, Roland Koch and Hans-Henning Luhr, are appointed institution representatives in the wage negotiation mediation between the federal government and municipalities in Germany.
- In Bremen, the former Finance Senator, Hans-Henning Luhr, represent the trade unions, Verdi and the German Civil Service Federation, who demand an 8% pay rise, at least €350 extra per month, and a conversion of overtime into three free days.
- The Association of Municipal Employers' Associations accepted mediation after declaring negotiations a failure due to the unaffordable approximate 15 billion euro total volume of the possible collective agreement.
