New agreement gives wage increase to German roofing workers

About 80 000 roofing workers in Germany will receive a wage increase thanks to a newly signed agreement by their union and employers.

After long negotiations the German construction workers union IG BAU and the Federation of German Roofing Contractors finally agreed on a wage increase of 5.6 per cent in two steps – 2.7 per cent increase in wages and salaries as of 1 December 2018 and an additional 2.9 percent from 1 October 2019.

“The negotiations in this collective bargaining round have been very complicated. Although business is booming, during the negotiations employers were not even offering to match inflation. We were forced to undergo a conciliation process to reach an amicable agreement concerning the wage increase,” said Dietmar Schäfers, Deputy federal President of IG BAU and also deputy president of the BWI, who conducted the negotiations.

The agreement also gives increased payment for trainees as well as an extra special payment to members of IG BAU of 360 euros in the April 2019 settlement.