DGB criticises European Commission's recommendations on German economic policies
Published: 5 May 2003
On 9 April 2003, the German Federation of Trade Unions (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB) issued a statement to the press [1] in which it criticises the European Commission for its recommendations on German economic policies, as outlined in the latter's Recommendation (COM (2003) 170 final [2]) of 8 April on the 2003-5 Broad Economic Policy Guidelines for the Member States and the Community.[1] http://www.dgb.de/presse/pressemeldungen/pmdb/pressemeldung_single?pmid=2044[2] http://europa.eu.int/comm/economy_finance/publications/european_economy/2003/comm2003_170en.pdf
In April 2003, the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB) criticised the recommendations of the European Commission on German economic policies, issued as part of the Commission's recent Recommendation on the EU's 2003 Broad Economic Policy Guidelines.
On 9 April 2003, the German Federation of Trade Unions (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB) issued a statement to the press in which it criticises the European Commission for its recommendations on German economic policies, as outlined in the latter's Recommendation (COM (2003) 170 final) of 8 April on the 2003-5 Broad Economic Policy Guidelines for the Member States and the Community.
The DGB press release quotes a statement by Heinz Putzhammer, one of the five members of DGB's federal executive committee. Mr Putzhammer said that the recommendations on German economic policies showed considerable gaps in the European Commission's knowledge of the reality of German collective bargaining. Furthermore, he claimed that an allegation by the European Commission that the German system of sector-level collective agreements lacks differentiation is not in accordance with the facts. Mr Putzhammer pointed out that there are more than 57,000 collective agreements in Germany. These collective agreements, he said, involve both considerable wage differentials and a wide spectrum of subtly differentiated regulations for sectors and regional areas.
In contrast with what he saw as the false impression given by the Commission Recommendation, Mr Putzhammer said that many collective agreements contain grading systems which include special scales applying to trial periods for new job entrants. He also opposed the claim by the Commission that, where 'opening clauses' in collective agreements exist, they are seldom applied. He stated that currently 35% of all establishments and almost a quarter of all public authorities apply collectively agreed opening clauses.
Mr Putzhammer invited the Commission to enter into a dialogue with the trade unions about the current situation of collective bargaining in Germany.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2003), DGB criticises European Commission's recommendations on German economic policies, article.
