The public service is looking forward to the start of collective bargaining in the states. How far apart are the social partners? Federal civil servants are also waiting for the draft law to adjust salaries. And in Berlin, officials must take action by the end of the year to secure their rights.
The federal states’ employees and civil servants are looking ahead to the collective bargaining round at the beginning of December. In a first exploratory meeting on December 3rd, unions and employers will sound out their positions.
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Public service in December 2025: collective bargaining round and salaries
The unions around ver.di and the civil servants’ association are demanding seven percent more salaries for employees in the federal states, but at least 300 euros per month. For trainees and students in the practice network, the remuneration should increase by 200 euros and permanent employment after graduation should be guaranteed. In addition, the union is demanding an increase in all time bonuses by 20 percentage points. The intended term of the collective agreement is twelve months.
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The collective bargaining community of German states criticizes the demand made by ver.di and dbb for seven percent more wages or at least 300 euros per month. TdL chairman Andreas Dressel considers the volume to be excessive given an inflation rate of two percent and warns against unrealistic expectations. Implementation would place a heavy burden on the countries and cause additional costs running into billions. The TVL tariff round starts on December 3, 2025 and will continue in early 2026.
Berlin salary: Submit an objection by the end of December
Employees of the State of Berlin who are civil servants should actively secure their claims from the Federal Constitutional Court’s ruling. This is what GEW Berlin advises. The constitutional judges had made it clear that possible additional payments only apply to those who have lodged an effective objection in the years affected. In order to protect claims for the year 2025, the objection must be received by the responsible personnel office or the state administration office by December 31, 2025 at the latest.
The objection must be made in writing. An email is not enough, the union warns. The letter can be submitted by post or delivered on site for transcription. It is important to have verifiable receipt, for example by registered mail or a request for written confirmation of receipt. Employees who have already objected in previous years should also take action again, as this is the only way to secure their claims for the current year.
The GEW advises keeping a copy of the submitted objection and also sending it to the union’s legal protection office by post. This collects the documents in order to be able to assess the scope of the potential proceedings.
Salary: Berlin Senate wants to present repair law
Berlin’s Finance Senator Stefan Evers doesn’t want “an endless deadlock” when it comes to implementing the Federal Constitutional Court’s recent ruling on remuneration appropriate for his office. If possible, a parliamentary group bill for a repair law should be passed before the parliamentary summer break.
Public service in December: Waiting for the federal salary adjustment
Federal civil servants, judges and soldiers continue to wait for the salary adjustment, which has been pending for five years and was determined by the Federal Constitutional Court in 2020. But the federal government is not making any progress with the law on appropriate support for federal civil servants. The cabinet draft announced for November is still not available because the CSU-led Federal Ministry of the Interior and the SPD-led Federal Ministry of Finance cannot agree on the structure of the family allowance for civil servants with large children in the departmental coordination. A high surcharge would jeopardize the distance requirement between salary groups, while a low surcharge would fall below the minimum level required by the Federal Constitutional Court.
At the same time, the Federal Constitutional Court has set new standards for examining the appropriateness of the position and significantly raised the lower salary limit. This increases the pressure on the federal government to adjust the planned salary reform. The adjustment after the TVöD tariff agreement is also pending. It is more than unclear whether the adjustment laws will be published in December. After all, the payment of an advance rate began in November and, according to the Interior Ministry, has also been completed. If you want to stay up to date, subscribe to our newsletter.
Public service: These laws and regulations come into force in December 2025
Remote control of vehicles begins
From December 1, 2025, there will be a binding legal framework for remote-controlled cars on public roads for the first time. In a five-year test phase, vehicles can be moved from control centers. This is intended to make car sharing fleets more efficient and enable the use of driverless taxis. The technology complements existing automation systems and creates new options for urban traffic.
Vehicle registration document available via app
From December, the i-kfz app will offer the option of carrying the vehicle registration document digitally on your smartphone. Users can access the document at any time and share it with others if necessary, for example when renting a vehicle. The app also reminds you of deadlines such as general inspections. The digital vehicle registration document is intended to reduce administrative procedures and simplify vehicle management.
New supplement for disability pensions
A changed calculation procedure will apply to certain disability pensions from December. The supplement introduced in 2024 will be recalculated and paid out directly with the monthly pension in the future. The previous separate transfer in the middle of the month is no longer necessary. The change creates a uniform payment procedure and is intended to increase transparency for those affected.
Cash payment of pensions ends
With the switch to Deutsche Bank, the option to have pensions paid out in cash will no longer be available from December 2025. The pension insurance informs those affected that a current or basic account is required for further payments. The change primarily affects people who previously had no account and now have to set up an account connection.
Funding for Efficiency House 55-Plus starts
The new, temporary funding for residential buildings in the standard Efficiency House 55-Plus begins on December 16th. For projects with completely renewable heat supply, KfW provides low-interest loans of up to 100,000 euros per residential unit. The prerequisite is heat generation without fossil fuels. Heat pumps, district heating and biomass systems, among others, are eligible for funding.
CO₂ storage possible in the future
An amendment to the Carbon Dioxide Storage Act in December will create the basis for CO₂ capture and storage on a larger scale. The legal requirements allow unavoidable emissions to be technically separated, transported and permanently stored in deep rock layers. This creates the first legal framework for industrial CCS projects in Germany.
