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Jens Spahn (CDU) visiting a clinic in South Africa
Photo: Xander Heinl / photothek.de / imago images / photothek
The federal government has agreed on a care reform in order to promote better pay for care workers: From September 2022, the approval of old people's homes and care services will depend on remuneration according to the tariff. From then on, existing care facilities should also pay at least the amount of a care collective agreement. This emerges from a cabinet proposal from Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU), which the Reuters news agency received on Sunday.
The agreement was coordinated with Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (both SPD), it was said from government circles.
Both had asked for a collective bargaining agreement.
The project is to be financed from 2022 by increasing the contribution rate for long-term care insurance for childless people by 0.1 points to 3.4 percent of gross wages and a subsidy from the federal government of one billion euros per year.
Spahn recently requested a grant of 2.6 billion euros.
Agreement should be approved on Wednesday
According to the current status, the agreement, which was first reported by "Bild am Sonntag", is to be approved by the cabinet next Wednesday.
Since these are formally changes to a draft law that has already been submitted to the Bundestag, the parliament can decide on the nursing reform in June before the summer break.
The previous draft law also provides for a limitation of the home residents' own share of the care costs so that better pay for care workers is not at their expense.
A new addition is that from September 2022, care facilities must either be bound by collective bargaining agreements or pay wages at least as much as a care collective agreement.
This should also apply to existing care facilities.
Nursing facilities that are not bound by collective bargaining agreements are given an incentive to apply collective agreements that are above the usual regional level, as the long-term care insurance funds reimburse the region's average wage plus ten percent.
According to calculations by the Ministry of Labor, around half of the approximately 1.2 million nursing staff are not paid according to the tariff.
They earned about two euros less per hour.
ire / Reuters
