Trade unions | "Offer in the cent range is completely unacceptable"

There is still no agreement on a new collective agreement in sight. Photo: dpa/Robert Michael Even after the third round of collective bargaining, the Construction-Agrar-Environment Industrial Union (IG BAU) was unable to reach an agreement with employers on a new collective agreement for the building cleaning industry. After twelve hours of negotiations, both parties accused each other of being unwilling to compromise. There will be no warning strikes for the time being, as the peace obligation still applies until December 31st. The next round of negotiations has not yet been scheduled.

The fact that there is hardly any movement in collective bargaining is primarily due to the employers. The Federal Guild Association for the Building Cleaning Trade (BIV) is currently offering a zero round in the first four months of next year. There will only be an increase of two percent from May, and only for the lowest wage group. The employers' latest offer also provides for a further increase of 1.83 percent for 2028. In absolute terms, the first wage increase would mean an increase in hourly wages from 15 cents to just 15.30 euros, and from 2028 a further 28 cents would be added.

“The employers have once again presented an offer in the cent range that is absolutely unacceptable,” says Zeynep Bicici, negotiator for IG BAU. "The cleaning companies simply don't understand that the employees need significantly more in their wallets to make ends meet in normal life."

The union is demanding two euros more per hour for all wage groups for twelve months. This would mean that the industry minimum wage for which most building cleaners have to work would rise from the current 15 to 17 euros; glass and facade cleaners would receive 20.40 instead of 18.40 euros per hour.

"The cleaning companies simply don't understand that the employees need significantly more in their wallets to make ends meet in normal life."

According to the chairman of the BIV negotiating commission, Christian Kloevekorn, IG BAU has already been accommodated and has shown a willingness to compromise. “What we are not participating in, however, is tariff poker at the expense of economic reality,” he said. The economic situation is more than tense in view of “massively rising costs, especially in social security contributions, and a noticeable decline in customer demand”.

According to the BIV's latest economic survey, its member companies rate the prospects as well as customer and order dynamics for the coming financial year as rather weak. However, almost 70 percent of the companies surveyed expect positive or at least stable business development for the current financial year.

In contrast, sales have been rising for more than ten years in what is the largest trade in Germany with almost 700,000 employees. “In 2025, sales amounted to 29.5 billion euros, an increase of 81 percent since 2016,” calculates an IG-BAU spokesman when asked by “nd”. Since the BIV generally does not publish winning numbers, the numbers speak for themselves. In view of this, IG BAU wants to stick to the demand for two euros more, because window panes and offices will also have to be cleaned in the future. And many companies have been outsourcing these activities to cleaning companies for many years.

But do higher sales indicate better business? »Of course, sales in the building cleaning trade have increased significantly in recent years. IG BAU should be happy about this, because this is largely supported by the strong wage increases," said BIV managing director Wolfgang Molitor in response to an nd query. The generally binding industry minimum wage for unskilled workers has risen by more than 70 percent in the east and more than 50 percent in the west since 2016. Molitor also points to higher employer contributions to social security as well as increased material, energy, machine, vehicle and administrative costs. “Inflation also affects companies, not just employees.”  

Annette Hofmann doesn't want to accept any of this. The long-time building cleaner and trade unionist from Baden-Württemberg was at a rally before the third round of negotiations in Cologne in the middle of this week. “The mood was good, we were very loud and ready to strike,” she said in an interview with “nd”. The new offer from the employer is still not acceptable because it is in the “deposit area”. “The employer is forcing us to go on strike.”

Other media have corporations or billionaires behind them. We have the nd.Genossenschaft and readers like you. That makes us independent and that’s exactly how we want to remain. But it also means: without you the calculation won't work. We need 300,000 euros by the end of the year.

You can donate directly here, one-time or regularly, so that nd stays.