Germany: VBE joins protests for investment and wages
Published:
Today, representatives of VBE from the state branches of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Sachsen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and other states joined national public services trade unions and confederations in protests in front of the representation of the state of Baden-Württemberg in Berlin.
VBE, in partnership with the dbb Beamtenbund und Tarifunion (civil service association), on 20 December 2018, put forward the following claims for the 2019 collective bargaining with the employer association (TdL) of German Länder and the state of Hesse :
A 6% salary grid increase of a minimum increase of 200 euros; Increase of the remuneration for apprenticeships and traineeships by 100 euros; Further developing the remuneration system for teachers, in particular implementing of the so-called parallel table; Increasing the period of leave for apprentices/trainees to 30 days; Simultaneous and fair transfer of the agreement to civil servants.
"We send a clear message to the Ministers of Finance of the Länder: We want more money, and a gradual upscaling of the salary grade. The appreciation of education personnel must not be limited to empty phrases in exhausting Sunday speeches. The state authorities have now the opportunity to show what we are really worth to them", explained Udo Beckmann, VBE National Chairperson, as the VBE state branches united under the slogan: “We are loud and we are many”.
VBE’s demands feed into the ETUCE campaign Shape the Future of Europe with Teachers, and ETUCE’s demands for increased public investment and attractiveness of the profession. The campaign is an initiative from ETUCE and its member organisations to the upcoming European Parliament elections and a contribution to EI’s global response, formulating clear demands to politicians, making the voice of teachers heard and raising awareness on the issues at stake.
“The declining attractiveness of the teaching profession, impacted by the deterioration of working conditions and pay, are a main priority of ETUCE’s campaign. Together with teachers and other education personnel in Europe, ETUCE calls on public authorities to meet the demands of the teaching profession”, ETUCE European Director, Susan Flocken said.