in view of the declining protection of workers through collective bargaining agreements of the German trade Union Federation (DGB) is calling for the bonuses to Union members. Employees should be rewarded if they contribute by their membership in a trade Union for collective bargaining coverage, said the DGB Chairman Reiner Hoffmann. “Given the General uncertainty on the part of workers and the people in Germany as a whole, it is high time to finally reach multi-tariff binding in the company,” said Hoffmann.
The DGB, said the Chairman, when in operation, for example, 40 percent of the employees in a trade Union were organized, were for better conditions and higher wages for all. He recalled that trade Union members pay a percentage of their gross wages as a contribution. The contribution is tax-deductible.
“employees should be rewarded by a collective agreement, if you are a member of a Union and thus contribute to the collective bond is strengthened and the social peace is preserved,” demanded Hoffman. “One possibility would be, for example, that Union members get a Bonus, or more vacation days.”
in addition, Hoffmann called for better ways to declare collective agreements generally binding. Would be affected companies that do not have a corresponding employers ‘ Association of their industry. The after-effect of collective agreements should also be extended: “If a company is outsourcing parts of the operation such as Facility Management of buildings, security services, cleaning services or book-keeping and accounting in the subsidiaries, the collective agreement of the parent company there today, only twelve months.” He should apply until a new collective agreement.
employers against General liability
Germany’s employers warn, however, before many companies, if the relevant trade unions on collective bargaining contracts. The President of the Confederation of German employers ‘ associations (BDA), Ingo Kramer, insisting that collective bargaining coverage remain voluntary. “The Situation is also vary from industry to industry,” he said.
Some companies no longer could call the performance of the high pace of collective development, warns Kramer. “We can’t continue with business as usual.” A pressurized company with its trade Union to get along well, it may conclude collective agreements which complement the area of the contract, or replace. “Increasing dramatically.” The not go with of the trade Union, “then the companies are going to get out of the collective agreement, before the Store has to close”. This Situation will probably get worse in the future, and with the digitization speed.
Kramer reminded of the “Pforzheim agreement” in 2004 with the in the metal and electrical industry, more design options at the operational level were admitted. “As a result of the reduction of the tariff binding has been stopped.” Today, there is a need for a new agreement of this type, and new opening clauses. “We need to develop new solutions and companies with the opportunity to stay in the collective bargaining agreement.” There should be a valve where the Pressure is drained. “Then it can come back to a stabilization of the collective agreements.”
According to a study by the Institute for labour market and occupational research (IAB) of 2018 is less and less Employees in Germany benefit from the area of collective agreements. Were paid in 1996, 70 percent of all West German employees in accordance with collective agreements, there were 2017, only 49 per cent. In the East, the share in the period fell from 56 to 34 percent.
One reason is, according to the study, that there is for example in the service sector, more and more smaller companies, where trade unions and collective agreements do not play a big role. In comparison to the year 2016, the share of employees decreased, their income and working conditions are regulated by a collective agreement, both in East and West Germany, respectively, by two percentage points. Many of the businesses regulated the wages and salaries of operation, but internally on the Basis of in-house collective agreements.
