The employees in the East German textile industry receive more money. As the IG Metall trade union and the Association of the North-East German Textile and Clothing Industry (VTI) announced on Thursday, wages will increase in two steps from October 2022 by 4.1 and 1.5 percent. There would also be two special payments – in May of 200 euros and in August of 120 euros. The annual special payment will increase in 2023 from 60 to 75 percent of a monthly salary. The apprenticeship pay is also improving.
The chairman of the VTI collective bargaining and social committee, André Lang, referred to the currently difficult economic situation of the textile companies, among other things because of the “exorbitant” rise in energy costs. “Despite these difficult framework conditions, a further step towards aligning the charges with the west level was taken with the conclusion,” he explained in a statement. It is a “viable compromise” that will give companies planning security for the next two years.
The industry has around 16,000 employees in East Germany, 12,000 of them in Saxony and 2,500 in Thuringia. (dpa)