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Leipzig under the sign of protest: SPD fights for fair wages for brewers!
Henning Homann from the SPD Saxony supports brewery workers in protests in Leipzig for fair wages and working conditions.
Leipzig under the sign of protest: SPD fights for fair wages for brewers!
What's going on in Leipzig today? At an important demonstration by brewery workers, the co-chairman of the SPD Saxony, Henning Homann, to speak on Thursday. The protest will take place from 9 a.m. in the park opposite the Seaside Park Hotel, where collective bargaining negotiations between the Food-Gourmet-Gastronomy Union (NGG) and the brewery employers are taking place at the same time. Homann is expected to receive a “final offer” from the Radeberger Group and the Carlsberg Group.
Henning Homann makes it clear that fair working conditions and appropriate pay are urgently needed. This is also discussed against the backdrop of a wage gap between East and West, which can amount to several thousand euros annually. The NGG is expecting around 350 participants from various cities, including Radeberg, Freiberg, Wernesgrün and Leipzig. A visible sign of solidarity among the industry's employees!
Out of conviction for better conditions
The protest in Leipzig should not be viewed in isolation. There are also positive developments for brewery employees in Bavaria. Loud AllgäuHIT Around 10,000 employees in the Bavarian brewing industry will receive more pay and new social security. With a new collective wage agreement between the NGG and the employers, wage increases were set in two stages: 3.4% from March 1, 2025 and 3.1% from March 1, 2026. In addition, employer-financed occupational disability insurance will be introduced from May 1, 2026, which is granted without a health examination.
This step is intended to provide employees with financial security if they become permanently unable to work due to illness or accident. The employers' association includes numerous well-known breweries such as Augustiner, Paulaner and the Staatliches Hofbräuhaus Munich, which underlines the importance of this agreement. The NGG describes the conclusion as a great success for the employees and the entire industry.
A look at collective bargaining and developments
In Germany, collective bargaining coverage has partially declined in recent years. How bpb.de reported, the coverage level of collectively agreed employees was 54% in 2018, which represents a decrease compared to 67% in 2000. While collective bargaining coverage in West Germany has fallen from 70% to 56%, a similar picture emerges in East Germany with a decline from 55% to 45%.
Developments on the labor market are essential for future planning and security for employees. Fewer and fewer people are protected by collective agreements, which makes it even more important that unions remain active and fight for workers' rights. The current protest events and collective bargaining are therefore of great importance not only regionally, but also in the German context as a whole.