In the collective bargaining dispute Civil Service of the federal government and the municipalities is moving again. The arbitration commission set up by employers and trade unions presented a settlement recommendation on Saturday. According to this, the approximately 2.5 million employees are to receive tax-free inflation compensation of a total of 3,000 euros in several installments until February 2024. From March 1, 2024, the collective wages would then be raised in a second step by a base amount of 200 euros and then increased by 5.5 percent. The increase amount should reach at least 340 euros. The term should be 24 months.
However, this recommendation does not end the collective bargaining dispute. It is only the basis for the continuation of collective bargaining, which is scheduled to resume on April 22 in Potsdam. If no agreement is reached there, the unions could Verdi and German Civil Service Association initiate a ballot on indefinite strikes. Verdi and the dbb tariff union had demanded 10.5 percent more money, but at least 500 euros more per month, with a term of the collective agreement of twelve months.
So far it is not clear whether the latest developments have brought an agreement at the negotiating table closer. The recommendation was not passed unanimously, but only with an “overwhelming majority”, as the commission announced. The trade unions had an advantage because only the arbitrator named by them, Hans-Henning Lühr, was entitled to vote. But the arbitrator appointed by the employer, Georg Milbradt, also supports the recommendation, in his words “despite the unusual amount”.
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