The adjustment of the Hessian civil servants' salary to the case law is likely to have an impact on the accounts of the civil servants from April 1st.

The government factions of the CDU and the Greens began the necessary parliamentary decision-making process by introducing the corresponding draft law into the state parliament on Tuesday.

Ewald Hetrodt

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung in Wiesbaden.

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The first reading is followed by consultation in the expert committee.

A hearing of associations and experts could take place there in January, said the spokesman for the leading Ministry of the Interior.

Amendments could go to second reading in February.

If the opposition brings about a third reading, it will take place in good time for the state parliament to pass the law by March at the latest, said the spokesman.

Response to judge's decision

According to him, Minister of the Interior Peter Beuth (CDU) explained the latest draft to the representatives of the civil service last Friday.

In essence, it corresponds to the version that Beuth and Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) presented publicly in August.

Black-Green is reacting to the judgments of the Supreme Court.

According to this, the remuneration in the lowest salary group must be at least 15 percent above the level of basic security.

This gap has narrowed considerably in recent years because the income of the unemployed to be taken into account has increased.

This does not only result in an increase for the low-income civil servants.

A gap must also be maintained between the individual grades, reflecting the different value of the jobs.

The state government is forced to act because the Hessian Administrative Court specifically criticized the salary towards the end of last year and submitted the facts to the Federal Constitutional Court.

It is considered certain that it will follow the criticism from Kassel.

In addition, the judges are expected to provide concrete guidelines on the future salary structure.

Retirees also benefit

The state government wants to make further steps dependent on the verdict, which is expected for next year or the year after that.

According to the draft law, the alimony gap is so large that it can only be closed gradually.

It stipulates, for example, that remuneration will be increased by three percent on April 1 of the next year and on January 1, 2024, in addition to their regular adjustment.

In addition, the monthly family allowances will increase from April 1, 2023.

The additional burden of the next double budget amounts to around half a billion euros.

More than 100,000 civil servants and 85,000 pensioners benefit from this.

The extent to which the too low alimony in the past decade will be compensated for will depend on the judgment that is still pending.

This is one of the demands that Beuth was confronted with again on Friday.

The officials have a right to the legislator to clarify this question, said the state chairman of the German trade union federation Michael Rudolph on Tuesday.

The state association of the German Association of Civil Servants sees the draft law as the right first step.

He rightly takes a look at the entire salary table.

Individual elements such as the family allowance do not come to the fore too much.

However, the "repair work" by the state government would have to go beyond the next two years.

Because the salary is still not fair.