Suche
Mein Konto
Flood of lawsuits against pay: civil servants in Lower Saxony are fighting back!
Civil servants in Lower Saxony are suing against new salary regulations. Trade unions are demanding adjustments and the protection of rights.
Flood of lawsuits against pay: civil servants in Lower Saxony are fighting back!
Things are simmering in Lower Saxony: the issue of civil servant pay continues to cause tension between the state government and the unions. While the government insists on the position that salaries are appropriately regulated, the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) is calling for relent, according to [ndr.de](https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/erste- Klage-gegen-helfer-besoldung-in-niedersachsen-dgb, civil servants-104.html). DGB chairman Mehrdad Payandeh clearly expresses his displeasure with the state government and emphasizes that a reassessment is urgently needed.
The situation has worsened above all due to a requirement from the Ministry of Finance, which instructed Lower Saxony authorities not to put civil servants' objections to pay on hold. Until 2023, it was sufficient to submit such an objection once. From this year onwards, however, officials will have to contact the authorities every year. This could result in many of them being forced to take legal action as they face rejections.
Current lawsuits and lawsuits
The first complaints have already been received in the last few weeks, as reported by gew-nds.de. However, proceedings at the Braunschweig Administrative Court have been placed on hold, which means that they will not continue until an application is submitted. Another case was also filed in Hanover, where the plaintiff suggested that the case be suspended until the Federal Constitutional Court made a decision.
It is noteworthy that no lawsuits have yet been received in the administrative courts in Osnabrück, Lüneburg and Oldenburg. In this tense situation, the DGB sees its position strengthened by the suspended proceedings.
Changes in the salary law
The background to this debatable situation is the change to the Lower Saxony Salary Act, which came into force in 2023. The new regulations are intended to create official alimony. However, the unions criticize that despite an increased minimum distance to basic security, there are still problems with pay. This applies in particular to the gap between salary groups and the supplementary family allowance, which, in the opinion of the DGB, is not legal.
A decision by the Hamburg Administrative Court, made on October 17, 2024, confirms these concerns. The court found that the salary fell short of the minimum distance to the basic security level and that there were violations of the distance requirement. Employees are encouraged to lodge an objection as the authorities have not yet made a decision on this.
The civil servants are also instructed to submit their objections for back payments in writing to the Lower Saxony State Office for Remuneration and Pensions (NLBV) by December 31, 2024 if they want to assert corresponding claims. The NLBV has now lifted the suspension of objections until 2022, which means that the applications will now be actively processed again.
In summary, it can be said that the stormy discussion about civil servant pay in Lower Saxony is far from over. Civil servants face challenges that must be overcome if they are to assert their rights to fair pay.