There are big differences in the salaries of civil servants in Germany. For example, civil servants in the final grade of salary group A9 in Bavaria receive 48,198 euros, while Saarland, at the bottom, only receives 44,988 euros. This emerges from the salary report 2023 of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), which is available to the German Press Agency in Berlin. "The same job does not necessarily mean the same salary," says the report.
In the federal government, officials with A9 in the final stage come to 46,538 euros. The average salary in this group is only slightly lower at 46,345 euros. The salary group includes, for example, clerks or food inspectors. The differences are also significant in other salary brackets.
DGB: No competitive salary at the federal level
The DGB now sees a lot of catching up to do, especially at the federal level. "So far, the federal government has been able to offer a competitive salary," said DGB Vice Elke Hannack of the dpa. "But in the meantime he has been left behind in the A9 salary group, which is so relevant for the federal police and customs departments." In view of the immense lack of staff, especially at customs, this is a fatal development.
Hannack spoke against the background of recent collective bargaining for the public sector. After the failure of negotiations between trade unions and employers, the municipalities and the federal government called for arbitration here on Thursday. A conclusion, which is therefore to be expected in a few weeks at the earliest, would probably also affect the salaries of civil servants. Negotiations were made for federal and local government employees, but the unions are also demanding that the results be transferred to civil servants.
In the past few years, the DGB had already identified significant differences between the countries. "The pay gap is getting smaller, Bavaria remains the front runner, Thuringia is catching up, and with a few exceptions, Saarland is once again in the bottom places," the new DGB report now states.
