Government - Increased pay for civil servants: criticism from trade unions
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania wants to increase the salaries of civil servants for career starters and civil servants with children. As announced by Finance Minister Heiko Geue (SPD), the state government decided to amend the salary structure law at its meeting in Schwerin on Tuesday. Civil servants who are still in the lowest pay grade A4 are to be promoted to grade A5. The starting salary will be raised in stages and the family allowance for civil servants with children will be increased by 50 euros per child. In addition, there is to be a special payment of 300 euros for each child with the Christmas bonus.
With these changes, which will benefit around 17,500 civil servants in the state, the state is responding to the forthcoming increase in the citizens' allowance. Despite the planned transfer of the wage agreement of the federal states from 9 December to the civil service sector, the necessary pay gap could no longer be maintained in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern without further measures.
"A sufficient pay gap is an expression of appreciation for the work of civil servants in our state. That is why we are increasing bonuses and making starting salaries more attractive," explained Geue. The amendment to the law is to come into force retroactively from January 1, 2023, but must first be discussed and approved by the state parliament.
Criticism has already come from the trade unions. "Trust in Finance Minister Heiko Geue has been permanently destroyed. Even his whitewashing of a bad law won't change anything," explained Christian Schumacher, state chairman of the police union (GdP). Contrary to agreements, essential parts of the draft law had been removed. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is still at the bottom of the pay rankings. This neither creates trust, nor does it express appreciation, nor does it make the public service in MV more sustainable, Schumacher said.
The DGB also complained that after months of talks, the agreements reached were not being adhered to in one important area. For example, the state government had refrained from raising the overall pay scale by one percent. "Those who have been with the company for longer and no longer have dependent children are now almost left empty-handed. That was not what was agreed," said Laura Pooth, Chairwoman of DGB Nord. The aim of strengthening the attractiveness of public service in the state was thus missed. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern scored poorly in the DGB salary report 2023.
After tough negotiations, the trade unions and the collective bargaining association of the German federal states recently reached an agreement for public sector employees in the federal states. Following a basic increase of 200 euros from November 2024, this provides for a pay rise of 5.5 percent from February 2025 and an inflation compensation premium totaling 3,000 euros. The agreement for salaried employees is also to be applied to civil servants in MV at the same time. The citizen's allowance paid by the state to the unemployed and those in need will increase by twelve percent at the beginning of 2024. However, the extent of the adjustment to the increased cost of living is controversial.
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- Despite the agreement reached between the trade unions and the collective bargaining association of the German federal states for a pay rise for public sector employees, Finance Minister Heiko Geue of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern felt the need for additional measures to maintain the pay gap, affecting around 17,500 civil servants.
- The DGB, one of the trade unions, expressed dissatisfaction over the removal of essential parts of the draft law concerning the salary structure in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which has historically been at the bottom of the pay rankings in Germany.
- In response to the forthcoming increase in the citizens' allowance, Geue announced that the state government would promote civil servants who are still in the lowest pay grade A4 to A5 and raise the starting salary and family allowance for civil servants with children, as well as offer a special payment of 300 euros for each child with the Christmas bonus.
- The SPD, led by Geue, recently came under criticism from the trade unions for deviating from the agreed-upon measures and ignoring the needs of experienced civil servants without dependent children, consequently failing to strengthen the attractiveness of public service in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
- Following the government's decision to amend the salary structure law, Heiko Geue, a member of the SPD, sought to justify the changes by stating that increasing bonuses and making starting salaries more attractive were expressions of appreciation for the work of civil servants in their state.
Source: www.stern.de
