Dresden (dpa / sn) – On the day of German unity on Monday, the DGB Saxony complained that there was still a gaping wage gap between East and West. Employees in Saxony received an average of 769 euros less every month than employees in western Germany, complained the head of the German trade union federation, Markus Schlimbach, on Friday. So it is not surprising that many people in East Germany see deficits in social justice and feel like second-class citizens. The main reason for the wage gap is the low collective bargaining agreement. In Saxony it is only 40 percent.
Politics can remedy the situation, explained Schlimbach. To this end, he called for the introduction of a clause in the Saxon Public Procurement Act that adheres to collective bargaining agreements. Schlimbach: “The funding of low-cost providers with public funds must be ended at state and municipal level. The same should also apply to economic development and funding programs.”
