A little more Christmas bonus - but not for everyone
Many employees in Germany can expect a slightly higher Christmas bonus this year. On average, they will receive 2809 euros gross, according to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden on Tuesday. However, the increase of 2.3 percent or 62 euros compared to the previous year is below the recent inflation rate of 3.8 percent.
In total, 85.8 percent of employees covered by collective wage agreements receive such a special annual payment in November or December.
"For employees with a collective wage agreement, an extra on their payslip before Christmas is practically standard," said Malte Lübker, an expert at the Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI) at the trade union Hans Böckler Foundation. "However, we also know that this is much less often the case if the employer does not pay according to the collective agreement."
No statutory entitlement to a Christmas bonus
There is no statutory entitlement to a Christmas bonus. "Entitlement to the special payment is based on a collective agreement, works agreement or employment contract," explains the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB). An entitlement can also arise from the principle of equal treatment and from company practice - if Christmas bonuses have been paid repeatedly without contractual regulations or agreements.
However, collective agreements do not apply to all employees in Germany. According to the latest data from statisticians, last year only just under half (a good 49%) of employees worked in a company covered by a collective agreement. However, there are companies that base their payments on collective agreements without being bound by them.
According to the latest figures from the DGB last year, for which data from the WSI was taken into account, around 54% of all employees in Germany receive a special payment at the end of the year.
Highest Christmas bonus in the energy sector
The amount of the Christmas bonus and the proportion of employees covered by collective agreements who receive an additional bonus vary depending on the sector, which may include several collective agreements. The proportion is particularly high in financial and insurance services and in the construction industry, at more than 95%. In the public administration, defense and social security sector, less than 70 percent of employees covered by collective agreements can expect a Christmas bonus.
All employees in the extraction of crude oil and natural gas as well as in the coking plant and mineral oil processing sector (5586 euros) can look forward to a particularly large additional payment at the end of the year of 5733 euros on average.
The special payment in temporary work is the lowest at 380 euros. In tobacco processing, the figure is 564 euros, and according to statistics, only 50.4 percent of employees in this sector are entitled to a Christmas bonus.
Despite the increase in Christmas bonuses, the rise in inflation has made the bonus less effective for many employees. Companies that do not adhere to collective wage agreements may provide less frequent or lower Christmas bonuses.
Employers with collective wage agreements in the energy sector often offer the highest Christmas bonuses to their employees, while those in the temporary work sector provide the least.
Source: www.dpa.com
