Around 4,000 employees in the East German confectionery industry can look forward to a significant pay rise. As announced by the Food, Beverages and Catering Union (NGG), employers and employee representatives agreed on a new collective agreement with a term of 23 months.
According to the agreement, wages will increase by a total of 10.1 percent. From June, salaries will initially increase by 5 percent, but by at least 135 euros. At the turn of the year, the collectively agreed working week will also be reduced to 38 hours with full pay compensation. A further salary increase of 2.5 percent will follow in July 2026. Apprenticeship allowances will also increase: From June 2025, trainees will receive 100 euros more per month, with a further 50 euros added in July 2026.
The new collective agreement applies retroactively from February this year and runs until the end of December 2026. The reduced working hours cannot be terminated until the end of March 2028 at the earliest. All other provisions of the collective agreement remain flexibly adaptable with a three-month notice period.
"The NGG members wanted to see the inequality compared to the other collective bargaining areas eliminated. This has been achieved in the non-terminated state," said NGG regional chairman Uwe Ledwig.
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