Mönchengladbach: Cleaning forces are happy about wage increase!

In Mönchengladbach, from January 2024 employees in 81 companies in the cleaning industry will benefit from a wage increase. The minimum hourly wage for cleaning staff is raised to 14.25 euros, while in 2025 there is a further increase to 15 euros per hour. This corresponds to a wage increase of a total of 11 percent that the industrial union has enforced in just two years.

In addition, from January 2024, glass and facade cleaners will receive an hourly wage of at least 17.65 euros, which is an increase of 95 cents. These improvements are part of a broader agreement between employers and unions, which is intended to raise the basic compensation in the entire building cleaning industry.

new minimum wages and training allowances

As the German Handwerks Zeitung reports, employees in building cleaning gradually receive around 11 percent higher wages. The new generally binding industrial wages will come into force from January 2025, and trainees also benefit from higher remuneration. The building cleaner trade employs around 700,000 workers in Germany, of which around 500,000 receive the minimum sector.

In the fourth round of negotiations, the new wage was agreed, which has a term of 24 months. The minimum wage in wage group 1 increases from current 13.50 euros to 14.25 euros from January 1, 2025 and will be increased to 15 euros in 2026. For glass and facade cleaners that belong to the wage group 6, the minimum wage increases from currently 16.70 euros to EUR 17.65 in January 2025, followed by an increase to 18.40 euros in 2026.

In addition, the training allowances will be increased from January 1, 2025: in the first year of training from 900 euros to 1,000 euros, in the second from 1,035 euros to 1,150 euros and in the third from 1,200 euros to 1,300 euros. There is no additional 13th monthly income in the new collective agreement, but discussions about a possible union bonus for November 2025 are planned. A possible annual payment could come at the earliest.

These developments clearly show the commitment of the unions and employers to improve the conditions for cleaning staff in Germany and to honor their labor value.