Yesterday, Thursday, June 20, the social partners in the industrial cleaning sector – the IG BAU construction union and the National Guild Association of the Building-Cleaning Trade (BIV) – reached an agreement for a wage increase over 24 months divided in two. As part of the procedure to harmonize pay in eastern and western Germany, the agreement provides that wage levels in the east will amount to 86 percent (up from 84 percent) of wage levels in the west. Therefore, in the end, the agreement provides for a global 6.02 percent wage increase in western Germany and 8.43 percent in the east. This will affect 550,000 employees, most of whom earn minimum wage. Even though working and pay conditions have gotten much better in recent years, unions and employers still point out that minimum wage is largely avoided. (Ref. 130419)
No longer in the ‘very-low-paid’ area. Bärbel Feltrini, who negotiated for the IG BAU, believes that the agreement reached yesterday with the BIV greatly improves the pay conditions of a sector known for its low wages. “We’re no longer in the ‘very-low-paid’ zone, even if we’re not yet at a point where employees can’t earn more” she said, happy with the negotiations’ outcome. Since mandatory sectoral minimum wage was introduced for all businesses in the sector in 2007, the union...
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