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Thursday 17 September 2020
After months of public debate on higher salaries for nurses, a new collective bargaining agreement will apply next year. For many employees, this means higher wages in several steps. Now it is the turn of politics.
Unions and employers have agreed on minimum conditions for the care of the elderly associated with significant wage increases. If the agreed agreements come into force, a qualified geriatric nurse will receive at least 3,137 euros per month from 2023, the Verdi union said. The provisional salary result negotiated with the Federal Association of Employers of the Care Sector must be extended to the entire care sector by the Federal Ministry of Labor through the Employee Posting Law.
Verdi called the result an important step towards a comprehensive collective agreement. The degree should make the nursing profession more attractive again. Sylvia Bühler, Verdi’s Federal Board Member, said: “The proposed minimum wages are impressive; they represent a significant increase compared to the previous minimum wage for care workers.”
End wage dumping
However, the collective agreement is not expected to enter into force until July 1 of next year. Until then, there is enough time to meet the requirements stipulated by the Posted Workers Act. The minimum wage would be increased in three steps. From January 2023 there will be at least 18.50 euros per hour, which translates into a 39-hour week of 3137 euros per month.
Non-trained nursing assistants should receive at least € 14.15 per hour, with training for one to two years at least € 15. “That’s a decent minimum standard, which of course leaves the best collective agreements intact,” explained Bühler. This will put an end to wage dumping, especially from commercial suppliers. In addition, Verdi and the employer agreed to a vacation allowance of 500 euros for full-time employees and an annual vacation of at least 28 days.
Furthermore, the social partners want the same pay in East and West Germany from the start. Bühler called on business assistance companies to renounce their resistance to a nationwide collective agreement.
