A settlement has been reached in the dispute between cleaners and employers in Germany, writes Thomas Schulte-Marxloh, ECJ reporter.
After a strike in October, German contract cleaning workers will receive higher wages and higher minimum wages. The union IG Bau, representing the workers in the German contract cleaning industry, and the BIV - association of the German contract cleaning industry - have agreed on new labour contracts, and – amazingly enough – both parties feel like winners.
Already in January of this year, the union asked for 8.7 per cent higher wages which was rejected by the BIV. The employers were willing to increase wages by three per cent in the western part and 3.6 per cent in the eastern part of Germany; the agreement was originally planned to be valid for 21 months.
Finally, the negotiating parties agreed on an increase of 3.1 per cent (in the west)/3.8 per cent (in the east), valid from January 2010. In 2011 the wages will be increased again by 1.8 per cent (west)/2.5 per cent (east). However most employees in the industry will profit from higher minimum wages, for instance, about 450,000 workers who are cleaning office space or privately owned houses and flats. Both the union and the BIV are fighting for a general binding status of the minimum wage which would also affect those companies that are not represented by the BIV. Both parties hope for the government to enact respective laws. The minimum wage has been increased from €8.15 to €8.55 (west) and from €6.58 to €7.00 (east).
"The strike has paid off," the union leader Klaus Wiesehügel reviewed the first nationwide organised strike of contract cleaners in Germany.
The BIV also seems to be pleased with the result which was achieved after long negotiations. “We are content - with this result we were able to preserve and to refine the industry’s successful system of minimum wages and tariff wages,” Bernd Jacke, chief negotiator said after top-level talks with the union leader in Frankfurt.
The current worldwide economic crisis was one of the BIV’s arguments to repel the union’s claim of an 8.7 per cent increase. However it seems that Germany has not seen the ugly face of the crisis yet. According to a European Commission report published in November, Germany will have to go through a dramatic increase of unemployment in 2010 – from 7.7 per cent up to 9.2 per cent.
Presently, the unemployment rate is comparatively low as many employees are on short time. Although the economic situation will improve in the second half of the year 2010, the labour market will not immediately reflect this, the report predicts. This means that in 2011 the unemployment rate in Germany might rise as high as 9.3 per cent.
Of course, a decline in industrial production or administrative work also means fewer orders for the contract cleaning industry. Therefore the coming year will be a challenging one for the sector; more than ever it will become crucial to convince customers of the value and health preserving services which are delivered by the 860,000 workers of the industry. Cleanliness and hygiene are values – indispensible values. Certainly most customers who were affected by the strike were reminded of that.
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