{"id":64096,"date":"12. March 2025 <\/span> Personnel planning <\/span> Working world","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T22:14:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.teamhero.de\/collective-bargaining-agreement-employers-should-pay-attention-to-this\/"},"modified":"2025-08-25T13:56:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T11:56:44","slug":"collective-bargaining-agreement-employers-should-pay-attention-to-this","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teamhero.de\/en\/collective-bargaining-agreement-employers-should-pay-attention-to-this\/","title":{"rendered":"Collective bargaining agreement: Employers should pay attention to this"},"content":{"rendered":"

Collective agreements provide a reliable basis for regulating employment relationships clearly and fairly. Particularly when planning working hours, notice periods or special leave, a framework collective agreement ensures security and uniform standards. <\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, we report on the working conditions governed by collective agreements, who is bound by them and what you as an employer should consider when dealing with this form of contract.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a collective agreement?<\/span><\/h2>\n

A framework collective agreement (MTV) is a collective bargaining agreement that supplements specific pay or wage agreements that exclusively regulate remuneration. While wage agreements are renegotiated at regular intervals, framework agreements are usually valid for several years or indefinitely. <\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Collective Agreement Act<\/span><\/a> (TVG) serves as the normative basis for all collective agreements in German labor law. The legislation establishes the fundamental autonomy of collective bargaining as a legal principle and creates the framework for collective bargaining agreements between the parties. <\/span><\/p>\n

On the one side are the trade unions as representatives of the employees, on the other the employers’ associations. The aim is to create uniform and binding rules that avoid conflicts and clearly structure employment relationships. <\/span><\/p>\n

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What does the collective agreement regulate?<\/span><\/h2>\n

A general collective agreement covers numerous aspects of the employment relationship. Unlike agreements with individual employees, these provisions apply to entire industries or groups of companies. <\/span><\/p>\n

Cessation and termination of the employment relationship<\/span><\/h3>\n

Collective agreements contain clear guidelines on employment contracts, fixed-term contracts and probationary periods. Companies must ensure that all new employment contracts comply with these standards. They also regulate notice periods. Interestingly, these periods may be shorter than the legal requirements set out in the German Civil Code (BGB \u00a7 622). <\/span><\/p>\n

Collective agreements define precise framework conditions for the termination of employment relationships. These include both the deadlines to be observed and formal requirements for the termination process. Employers are responsible for strict compliance with these requirements and must fully document proper implementation. <\/span><\/p>\n

Working hours and shift models<\/span><\/h3>\n

A central element in collective agreements is the detailed provisions on working time, e.g. binding upper limits for regular working hours, precise definitions for dealing with overtime and specific conditions for overtime pay.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>In many sectors such as the <\/span>healthcare<\/span><\/a> there are special regulations for shift work, night work and weekend work, including the supplements to be paid.<\/span><\/p>\n

Flexible working models such as working from home or mobile working can also be included in the collective agreement. These regulations have become increasingly important for companies and employees alike in recent years. <\/span><\/p>\n

Vacation entitlement and special leave<\/span><\/h3>\n

A collective wage agreement can extend the statutory minimum leave of 24 working days. Shorter leave entitlements than those stipulated in the Federal Leave Act (BUrlG \u00a7 3) are not permitted. <\/span><\/p>\n

Many collective agreements contain specific provisions for extraordinary leave entitlements. They grant employees additional paid days off outside the regular vacation quota in the event of significant life events such as marriage, a new addition to the family or bereavement within the family. <\/span><\/p>\n

Who are covered by collective agreements?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Binding to a collective agreement is not automatic for every company, but is based on specific legal constellations:<\/span><\/p>\n