Germany’s civil servants’ union dbb on Monday called on Interior Minister Nancy Faeser to present public sector workers with a serious offer ahead of collective bargaining negotiations.
“Every income round is an opportunity to make the public sector more attractive,” dbb Vice President Volker Geyer said at the union’s annual conference in Cologne.
Collective bargaining talks are due to begin for federal and municipal employees on January 24, affecting local transport, refuse collection, town halls and numerous other sectors.
According to the dbb, more than 2.6 million employees are directly or indirectly affected by the collective agreement, to be negotiated in the eastern city of Potsdam, near Berlin.
Three rounds of negotiations have been scheduled, with warning strikes expected in some municipalities.
Along with the verdi trade union, the dbb is demanding a pay rise of 8% and at least €350 ($362) more per month, for a term of 12 months.
However, unlike in the most recent rounds for the public sector, this time the unions are also aiming for more flexibility on working hours, said Geyer.
“When it comes to sovereignty over working time, we lag miles behind the private economy,” added Geyer, who was standing in for the union’s leader Ulrich Siberbach due to illness.
Addressing Faeser, who attended the conference after missing it last year, Geyer said: “Don’t wait until the third round to make us an offer again. That doesn’t do justice to the situation.”
