Union demands wage increase for the brewing industry in the district of Starnberg

Created: 2022-06-07 09:51

A man holds up a pint of beer.

© Armin Weigel/dpa/symbol image

District - Anyone who works in the production and sale of beer in the district of Starnberg gets more money.

Retroactive to March, collective wages in breweries have risen by a total of 4.1 percent.

This is reported by the Food-Genuss-Gaststätten (NGG) trade union and calls on employees to check their current pay slip, on which the plus must appear for the first time.

“From Augustiner and Paulaner to Spaten-Franziskaner and the Staatliches Hofbräuhaus – we have nationally known brands in the region, but also many medium-sized and small businesses.

After declines in the first Corona phase, brewing has long since resumed at full capacity,” says Tim Lünnemann, Managing Director of the NGG region in Munich.

With the wage increase, the employees received a fair share of the good business in their industry.

According to the employment agency, there are currently 97 breweries with around 4,000 employees in the administrative district of Upper Bavaria.

“Whether light beer, wheat beer or one of the many special types: beer is not only an important economic factor in Bavaria, but also a cultural asset.

Brewers take pride in what they make.

But the job at the brewing kettle is physically demanding - the 3-shift system in particular is good for your health," says Mustafa Öz, NGG state chairman and negotiator.

It is all the more important to keep the work attractive through fair payment.

This was achieved with the new collective agreement.

The wage agreement for the more than 10,000 employees in Bavaria's breweries provides for wages to increase by 3.6 percent retrospectively to March.

Together with the increase in the annual holiday allowance from 414 to 660 euros, the plus amounts to 4.1 percent.

Apprentices also benefit: they receive 70 euros more per month for each year of training.

The collective agreement runs until the end of February next year.

In the collective bargaining between the union and employers, state labor judge Harald Wanhöfer mediated as an arbitrator.

According to Öz, the agreement prevented a widespread strike "at the last minute".

The conclusion shows that the brewing industry has a future and will remain attractive for young and skilled workers.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, Bavaria's breweries have so far come through the pandemic better than those in other federal states: while beer sales fell by 2.2 percent on average nationwide last year, the Free State recorded an increase of 2.1 percent.

The NGG trade union sees the industry prepared for the coming months despite currently rising raw material prices in the wake of the Ukraine war.

"Busy beer gardens, the return of folk festivals, a growing export business - some breweries are already recording higher sales than before the pandemic.

Added to this are increasing sales of non-alcoholic varieties, mixed beer drinks and lemonades.

All in all, good prospects for the brewers - and with the collective agreement now also for the employees," emphasizes Öz.

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