The services union Verdi and the employers of the German Länder have reached a collective‑agreement for public‑sector employees in the states. Verdi announced on Saturday that the agreement will raise wages by a total of 5.8 %. The increase will be implemented in three stages spread over 27 months. New recruits will receive an additional €150 on top of the base salary, and working conditions in the eastern states will be harmonised with the western rules, covering notice protection and working hours at the university hospitals in Rostock, Greifswald and Jena.
“Ultimately we have achieved an outcome that matches the collective agreement level for federal and municipal public‑sector employees from last year” said Verdi head Frank Werneke. He added that state employees will stay on par with their colleagues’ wage level.
The agreement will cover 925 000 public‑sector staff across all states except Hessen, where separate negotiations are ongoing. The first wage increase of 2.8 % will take effect from 1 April 2026, followed by a 2.0 % rise from 1 March 2027, and a final 1.0 % bump from 1 January 2028. Overtime and shift‑work allowances will also be raised.
For students employed at universities, the minimum hourly rates are set to rise to €15.20 in the summer semester of 2026 and to €15.90 a year later, although a collective agreement for that group was rejected. In Hamburg, the “Hamburg allowance” will bring higher pay of up to €115 to roughly 10 000 employees.