Painters in the Heilbronn district: Now more pay for hard work!

Painters in the Heilbronn district: Now more pay for hard work!

In the Heilbronn district, painters and varnishers can look forward to a welcome wage increase. The hourly wage is now 19.42 euros, retroactively from April. This means that full-time employees get around 90 euros more on their paycheck per month. This is a positive step for around 330 employees in 58 companies, as IG BAU reports. The next wage jump has already been announced for next year. This upward trend marks an important agreement after extremely tough collective bargaining, which also included increases for trainees.

And what does that mean specifically for the next generation? From August onwards, trainees in the painting and varnishing trade can look forward to 50 euros more per month. Here too, further adjustments to remuneration have been announced next summer. These wage increases are part of a broader framework that affects the entire sector. According to deutsche-handwerks-zeitung.de, collective bargaining has led to higher wages for around 150,000 employees in the painting and varnishing trade. At the beginning of the year, employees received a 5 percent increase.

Collective agreements and future developments

The collective agreements, which were concluded at the end of 2022, run from January 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024. A further wage increase of 2.6 percent is planned for 2024. For additional clarity: The same increases apply in eastern Germany, but with a small bonus of 10 cents more. Cross-industry minimum wages were already raised in April 2023, providing a further boost for employers in the region.

The last collective bargaining negotiations were no picnic. After tough discussions, the employers made an offer in March 2025, which was criticized by IG BAU as inadequate. IG Bau opposed a result that did not even compensate for inflation, although employers held out the prospect of far-reaching concessions. An alternative collective bargaining proposal with a wage increase of just 37 cents per hour was also not accepted. This shows how challenging the negotiations are, as handwerk.com states.

Positive outlook and signals of agreement

Despite the difficulties, employers are open to new conversations. An original arbitration failed because IG Bau demanded independent arbitration and the employers rejected this. IG BAU has now drawn up a clear roadmap for the east-west equalization of wages. You can tell that there is something to be done in the next few months, and the commitment of both sides promises progress.

The painting and varnishing industry is facing exciting times. With the new wages and remuneration, the ongoing collective bargaining and the clear view of positive development in the craft sector, the optimism among employees and in the companies is clearly noticeable. It remains to be seen how the situation will develop, but one thing is certain: the work of painters and varnishers will receive the appreciation they deserve.