Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) – The Hessian state government’s plans for civil servants’ salaries have met with massive criticism from the opposition in the state parliament. “Black-Green is only taking a first step and ignores the fact that the payment of civil servants remains unconstitutional,” said the domestic policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, Stefan Müller, on Tuesday in the state parliament in Wiesbaden. This shows disrespect for the state officials, whose very good work continues to be underpaid.
The government factions of the CDU and Greens had previously introduced a bill to increase civil servants’ salaries in the state parliament. According to this, state civil servants, judges and pensioners are to receive three percent more money on April 1, 2023 and January 1, 2024 – in addition to the agreed wage and salary increase. In addition, child allowances are to be increased significantly. Overall, the regulation applies to more than 180,000 civil servants and pensioners.
The Hessian Administrative Court (VGH) ruled at the end of last year that civil servants’ salaries violated the Basic Law. Accordingly, the civil servants were not sufficiently paid from 2013 to 2020. However, the Federal Constitutional Court must make a binding decision on the future salary.
“This draft law can only be a first step. More must follow,” said Heike Hofmann, spokeswoman for domestic affairs for the SPD parliamentary group. The parliamentary manager of the left-wing faction, Torsten Felstehausen, criticized that it was “outrageous” that the DGB, the largest trade union among civil servants, had not been consulted before the law was introduced.
