DGB: Around 1,500 Participants at Beamers' Action Day - Hesse civil servants strike for 7% pay rise and fair working conditions

Thousands of civil servants in Hesse have taken to the streets to demand higher wages and better working conditions. The protests come as unions push for a 7% pay rise and a minimum monthly increase of €300 for state employees, arguing that current salaries fail to meet constitutional standards.

The demonstrations saw around 1,000 civil servants gather in Frankfurt, with an additional 500 participating in a photo campaign organised by the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) North Hesse. Their demands follow a 2021 ruling by the Administrative Court in Kassel, which found that civil service salaries in Hesse were unlawfully low between 2013 and 2020, violating the Basic Law.

Unions are now calling for wages to be adjusted in line with constitutional requirements. They insist that any new pay agreement for state employees must apply equally and immediately to civil servants as well. The current TV-L agreement, which introduced phased increases of 5.8% over 27 months, has complicated negotiations in states like Niedersachsen and Nordrhein-Westfalen, where authorities are still transitioning to compliant pay structures. Michael Rudolph, chair of DGB Hesse-Thuringia, stressed that the public sector plays a vital role and that the state must act decisively on pay and working conditions. The third round of wage talks is scheduled to resume on March 26–27, with unions highlighting ongoing staff shortages and past real-wage losses as key issues.

The protests reflect growing frustration among civil servants over pay disparities and working conditions. With negotiations set to continue later this month, unions remain firm on their demands for a 7% wage increase and equal treatment for all state employees. The outcome will determine whether Hesse's public sector salaries align with legal and constitutional standards.