German construction workers have a new CBA
After five rounds of negotiations and two rounds of arbitration, a new CBA was inked in the construction industry which will provide German construction workers an increase in their wages.
In West Germany, workers will receive a 6.2 percent wage hike, while those in the Eastern parts of the country will get an 8.5 percent increase. The increases bring closer the alignment of wage levels in the said areas, which will reach parity by 2026.
The CBA also provides a new milestone provision by compensating workers who are commuting daily to work. Commuting workers covering an average of 60 kilometres per day will receive EUR 147 for 21 working days per month. On the other hand, commuting workers who travel a shorter distance will receive EUR 18 to 78 each week.
“For the first time, our CBA provides compensation to many construction workers who travel long distances just to get to their work. These workers, who often have no say at all on where they are deployed, spend a lot of their time commuting to construction sites. The workers’ daily commuting takes time away for their rest and recreation. It is only right that they are justly compensated,” Carsten Burckhardt, a member of IGBAU’s Federal Board for Construction remarked.
The CBA is valid until 31 March 2024.