An increase of 5.8% in the salaries of state employees
State employees in Germany will receive a total pay rise of 5.8 percent in several stages, with a minimum monthly increase of €100, following a new collective bargaining agreement reached in Potsdam.
The deal applies to around 925,000 state employees and concludes the wage dispute between the German states, excluding Hesse. The agreement was achieved after three rounds of negotiations between employers and unions and will run for 27 months, providing financial planning security until 2028.
Under the agreement, salaries will increase by 2.8 percent from April 1, 2026, with a guaranteed minimum of €100 per month. A further 2.0 percent rise is scheduled for March 1, 2027, followed by an additional 1.0 percent increase on January 1, 2028. Trainees will also benefit, with their pay rising gradually by at least €150, while allowances for alternating and shift work will be improved.
Verdi chairman فرانك فيرنيكه said the outcome matches last year’s agreement for federal and municipal public sector workers, ensuring comparable wages across different levels of public service. Dbb chairman فولكر غاير described the result as a compromise but said it delivers concrete and lasting improvements, calling for the deal to be extended to civil servants as well.
Hamburg finance senator أندرياس دريسل, chief negotiator for the employers’ association of German states (TdL), said the agreement stretches what is financially possible but offers stability for state budgets over the next three years. The previous agreement had expired at the end of October, while unions had originally demanded a seven percent rise with a minimum of €300 per month.