German federalgovernment authorities and labor unions have reached a pay offer for more than 2.5 million public-sector employees, ending a prolonged conflict and heading off the possibility of disruptive full-scale strikes
BERLIN — German federalgovernment authorities and labor unions have reached a pay offer for more than 2.5 million public-sector employees, ending a prolonged disagreement and heading off the possibility of disruptive full-scale strikes.
The ver.di union had pushed for substantial raises as Germany, like lotsof other nations, grapples with high inflation. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated as the offer was revealed around midnight Sunday that “we accommodated the unions as far as we might properly do in a tough budgetplan circumstance.”
The offer requires tax-free one-time payments amountingto 3,000 euros ($3,300) per staffmember, with the veryfirst 1,240 euros coming in June and regularmonthly payments of 220 euros following till February. In March, routine regularmonthly pay for all will be increased by 200 euros, followed by a wage boost of 5.5% — with a minimum raise of 340 euros per month ensured. The offer runs through to the end of 2024.
Ver.di initially lookedfor a 1year offer with a raise of 10.5%. The offer was reached on the b