According to the German trade association HDE, employers in the retail sector want to bring about a quick end to collective bargaining despite the difficult framework conditions and are increasing the offer in the second round of the ongoing negotiations. “Employers agree that they now want to provide employees with effective cost relief as soon as possible,” says HDE collective bargaining director Steven Haarke.
The extended offer from employers provides for table-effective percentage salary increases totaling 7.5 percent in three steps over a period of 24 months. Compared to the offer from the first round of negotiations, a third increase of 2.5 percent was added in the 22nd month of the term of the collective agreement. In addition, a collectively agreed base salary is also being offered for the first time. Employees who fall under the area of application of the regional collective agreement are to be guaranteed a gross wage of EUR 13 per hour worked. Haarke: “We are specifically addressing a core requirement of our social partners.” In addition, the employees are to receive an inflation compensation bonus of 1,000 euros in two steps. The offer contains a “sprinter clause” so that the first increase level would already take effect in the month of the collective bargaining agreement. “Hardly any other industry currently offers this because of the difficult situation,” Haarke continues.
Difficult situation in trade requires exceptions
Due to the difficult economic situation in retail, employers also rely on an emergency clause with this offer, so that financially troubled companies can also make different regulations in coordination with the employee representatives. “The times are bad for the industry in many places, 9,000 shops will probably have to close this year,” Haarke continued. Therefore, there is a need for a regulation for companies in special emergency situations.
According to Haarke, he is aware that this offer is extremely challenging for many companies in the industry: “Now it’s the union’s turn. We hope that she will quickly say goodbye to her unrealistic demand and meet us with the serious will to conclude the deal. A ritualistic adherence to the demand would appear as an ideological game and tactical banter that retail workers will hopefully be spared. A quicker and more effective collective bargaining agreement is now possible and can quickly lead to financial relief for the workforce,” says Haarke.
Collective bargaining policy in retail is coordinated nationwide in the collective bargaining committee of the HDE. Collective agreements are negotiated in retail in the countries. The second round of negotiations has just opened in Baden-Württemberg.
More than 3.1 million people work in German retail.