Court stops low salaries: civil servants in Schleswig-Holstein breathe a sigh of relief!

Court stops low salaries: civil servants in Schleswig-Holstein breathe a sigh of relief!

In Schleswig-Holstein, the administrative court made a remarkable judgment: 300 civil servants from the state received justice on behalf of tens of thousands of their colleagues. Again NDR reports, the court ruled that the salaries of these officials were inadequate. Specifically, it is about the salary, which did not meet the legal minimum standard for more than 80,000 civil servants, judges and prosecutors in 2022.

The origin of this legal dispute is a salary reform that was passed by the state parliament in 2022. Does that sound familiar? Such laws often cause large protests, but in this case a court was actually involved. Following the ruling, the matter will now be referred to the Federal Constitutional Court, which is the only body that can overturn such laws.

A look at the salary structure

The court clearly stated that civil servants' salaries must meet certain legal criteria. A central criterion: the basic security must be exceeded by at least 15 percent. According to the judgment, this minimum level was clearly not achieved in some cases. In addition, the gradations between salary groups were considered too small. This violates the performance principle and calls the salary structure into question.

The dbb Civil Service Association has commented on the decision and criticized the fact that only a few civil servants benefited from the new law and that numerous warnings were ignored. In a recent statement, the SPD parliamentary group expressed that the deficiencies in the law were already recognized in 2022 and the ruling confirmed the fears. The need to improve working conditions for state employees is now being highlighted.

Financial impact

Another aspect that is heating up people's minds: The Ministry of Finance in Schleswig-Holstein cannot yet estimate what costs the correction of the draft law could cause. It is speculated that up to 300 million euros from the civil servants' pension fund could be needed to make the necessary adjustments. Alarming news for the state government’s coffers!

But not everyone supports this step. The police union has spoken out vehemently against the withdrawal of funds and is committed to ensuring that the basic needs of officers are taken into account. One thing is certain: a solution must urgently be found to clarify the situation of state employees.

While all this is happening in Schleswig-Holstein, people are also thinking outside the box: in other regions, like Wisconsin, where this Department of Financial Institutions is responsible for regulating financial institutions, shows how important adaptable legislation is. The authority was founded in 1996 to better manage finance and provide the public with clear information on financial issues.

Overall, it remains exciting to see how the situation of civil servants in Schleswig-Holstein will develop. The next steps and the reaction of the Federal Constitutional Court are of utmost importance for the future of civil servant salaries in the federal state. One thing is clear: there is still a lot of work to be done by those responsible.