Germany - Historic milestone in construction industry - March 31, 2026

Starting 1 April 2026, wages and salaries in the construction industry will increase by 3.9% in the western part of the country and by 5.3% in the eastern part. This marks the first time since reunification that a uniform income level has been achieved across the country. The complete equalization of incomes in East and West ends decades of unequal treatment. The Deputy Federal Chairman of the Industrial Union for Construction, Agriculture, and the Environment (IG BAU) describes this as a historic step. More than 35 years after reunification, there is finally one country, one wage, one salary. The union worked persistently toward this goal, including a nearly three-week strike. With this latest wage increase, the negotiating parties are implementing the third stage of the 2024 construction industry collective agreement. The hourly wage of a construction machine operator or a tile layer has increased in the west from € 22.40 to € 26.05 and in the east from € 21.67 to € 26.05.

Read on: in German…

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