Overview
- The DGB says Economics Minister Katherina Reiche had the national action plan pulled from Wednesday’s cabinet agenda for the fourth time.
- EU minimum wage rules require countries below 80 percent collective-bargaining coverage to file an action plan, and the submission deadline passed in November 2025.
- Only about 49 percent of employees in Germany were covered by a collective agreement in 2024, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
- Unions are pressing for swift passage of a federal Tariftreuegesetz that would restrict federal contracts to firms paying collectively agreed wages, a bill introduced by Labor Minister Bärbel Bas in October.
- Business groups argue the procurement law would add bureaucracy, the planned December 2025 vote has been delayed, talks are reported at SPD–Union faction leader level, and the DGB warns urgency as major infrastructure contracts are being awarded.