Advertisement

Eastern workers still lag badly on wages

Author thumbnail
Eastern workers still lag badly on wages
Photo: DPA

Twenty-one years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, many workers in the former East German states are earning one-third less than their peers in the former West, according to a Tuesday media report.

Advertisement

On average, the wage gap is 17 percent, but there is broad variation and gaps of 33 percent are not uncommon, daily Bild reported, citing a survey by

by think-tank the Hans Böckler Foundation.

The figures are based on a worker with 10 years’ experience, working a 38-hour week in a non-managerial position and excluding bonuses.

The foundation’s wage policy expert Reinhard Bispinck told the paper: “The main reason for the lower wages in the east is the smaller collective bargaining coverage at eastern German firms. Also there are fewer large firms in the east. The smaller the firms, the smaller the standard of pay.”

Former eastern state Thuringa’s premier Christine Lieberknecht called for equal pay between east and west. “With this unequal pay, they won’t find skilled workers,” she said of the eastern states.

The Local/djw

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also