Care workers in Germany are to receive a special "coronavirus" bonus of 1.500 euros for their efforts during the current coronavirus crisis. Employees who work part-time hours will also receive a bonus.
The decision was announced by the trade union ver.di, which came to a collective agreement regarding the bonuses with the Federal Association of Employers in the Care Industry (BVAP) last weekend.
The agreement will see full-time employees working in outpatient and long-term inpatient care compensated an extra 1.500 euros on top of their July salary. The bonus is set to be paid to care workers, care assistants and managers as well as everyday companions, supervisors and assistants.
Part-time employees will receive a bonus that corresponds to their working hours and apprentices will also receive a bonus of 900 euros. The bonuses will be exempt from tax and social security.
Sylvia Bühler, a board member of the Verdi trade union, has called for the collective agreement to be made generally binding, so that all employers, including commercial care providers, have to pay their workers the bonus. “The corona pandemic shows everyone how important it is to provide care for the elderly and people in need of care. The market and competition have lost nothing here, and politics urgently needs to change direction,” said Bühler.
According to Gero Kettler, board member of the BVAP, the bonus is being paid as recognition for the special burden care workers have had to undertake during the current crisis. He stressed that it was in no way adequate compensation for their work, which is often stressful and underpaid in everyday life.