Commenting on the current discussion on the AVE of a collective agreement for the care of the elderly, BDA Managing Director Steffen Kampeter said:

Framing by ver.di and parts of politics is dishonest - trade unions should not engage in self-promotion

Berlin, 26 February 2021 The attempts by parts of politics to take over the collective bargaining process in the care sector have failed. This is a good thing, because autonomy in collective bargaining is given concrete form by the nursing care commission for good reason. This commission, in co-operation with virtually all the major players in the nursing care field, produced a sensible result last year and will continue to do so.

Employers' associations are independent and perform their tasks and mission without a mandate from the state. Trade unions should also not engage in self-deprecation by repeatedly calling for the state. This is about more than working conditions in one industry. This is obviously about a blatant attack on a cornerstone of the social market economy

The framing of ver.di and parts of politics is dishonest if one claims that those who do not always call for the state are in favour of worse wages and working conditions. The Basic Law says something different than in the textbook of the Framer: the autonomy of collective bargaining is rightly protected. It is time for trade unions and politicians to respect the interests of all those involved in care and to aim for a fair compromise.