Commenting on the pressure exerted by politicians on church institutions to pave the way for a state-administered collective agreement, Chief Executive Steffen Kampeter said:

Berlin, 23 February 2021: Putting the churches under massive pressure on the political misguided path of a universally binding standard nursing care agreement and dragging them into the election campaign is evidence of bad style.

The churches have a special position in labour and collective bargaining issues. As employers' associations, we respect this so-called third way. The churches and their institution have - just like the freedom of association - a special protection. Therefore, they regulate their structures autonomously within the framework of the churches' right to self-determination.

If politicians and trade unions now call on church institutions to provide support for a legally questionable action from the Federal Ministry of Labour, this blurs the boundaries between the structures of collective agreements and the special position of the Third Way. All those involved should ask themselves whether they want this. The Minimum Wage Commission for Nursing Care is a tried and tested instrument for shaping conditions in nursing care.