Germany - Government adopted national action plan to promote collective bargaining - August 31, 2026

On 22 July, the German government adopted a national action plan to promote collective bargaining. According to the European Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages every country in which bargaining coverage is below 80% must establish an action plan to promote collective bargaining. The original deadline was the end of 2025. The German action plan contains the following three main measures, which were already included in the coalition treaty of the new government elected in February 2025: (1) A federal law on public procurement making public contracts contingent upon compliance with the relevant collective agreement (in force since 1 May 2026); (2) A right for trade unions to access workplaces digitally (e.g., via intranet, email, or messaging services); (3) Tax incentives for union membership by improving tax deductibility of union membership fees (as of 1 January 2026).

Read on: in German…     Read on: in German (2)…More information: https://www.etui.org/newsletters