The chairwoman of the Greens, Ricarda Lang, has called on the federal government to quickly present an action plan for more collective agreements. “Germany has some catching up to do here, the collective bargaining agreement must increase again,” Lang told the Tagesspiegel. In the past 25 years, collective bargaining coverage in Germany has fallen by 20 percentage points.
The Greens leader considers this to be a momentous development. “The collective bargaining agreement is a strong lever to renew the promise of advancement and to guarantee good work. On average, those who work according to a collective agreement earn better,” said Lang.
According to EU guidelines, states in which collective bargaining coverage is less than 80 percent must take action.
Wherever the state acts as a client, you have to pay according to the tariff
Ricarda Lang, leader of the Greens
One of them must be a Federal Collective Bargaining Law, the Greens politician demands: “My goal is for us to get a Federal Collective Bargaining Act through the Bundestag by the summer break. Wherever the state acts as a client, you have to pay according to the tariff.”
This should apply, for example, to service providers, caterers and lighting technicians who organize events that are planned by the public sector. “In the future, no more state money may be spent on wage dumping,” said Lang.
The Greens politician observes that the reduction in collective bargaining coverage has financial consequences. “It is actually the case that the climb has become more difficult in recent years,” said Lang.
Shortly before Labor Day, she therefore paid tribute to the work of trade unions. “May Day is a good day to join a union.”
