The German Federation of Trade Unions Berlin-Brandenburg welcomes the fact that the CDU and SPD factions in the Berlin House of Representatives have agreed on a law on the training support fund.
Berlin continues to be at the bottom of the list when it comes to in-company training, and the number of 2,000 additional training contracts agreed in the coalition agreement is unlikely to be achieved. The DGB therefore welcomes the fact that the government factions have now agreed on a compromise and that the legislative process for a training support fund now has a real chance of being completed before the summer break.
Nele Techen, deputy chairwoman of the DGB Berlin-Brandenburg, says: “Every additional training place is an investment in the future. Even if the number of newly concluded training contracts has increased slightly, there remains a clear disproportion between those seeking training and the training positions offered. Only about one in ten companies in Berlin provides training.”
With regard to the compromise that has now been reached regarding the design of the statutory training levy, Techen says: “We expressly welcome the fact that the training costs are offset in the amount of the collectively agreed training remuneration, that the full training costs are supported and that measures to increase the quality of training are promoted. Existing collectively agreed levy systems are also exempt from the law in the current version. We as unions have always emphasized this and still see it as the best way for the collective bargaining partners to agree on common solutions The construction industry social fund is a very good example of this.”
Techen is clearly critical of the scope of the new draft law: “Companies with more than 10 employees must pay into the training fund – this means that almost three quarters of the companies in Berlin are left out. This basis must be significantly broader and must not have a negative impact on collective bargaining solutions. We will continue to work towards this in the future. Overall, however, the law is a first step in the right direction.”
