The building cleaning trade rejects the wage demands of the IG Bau (Construction Workers' Union).

The IG Bau union is demanding a two-euro hour increase for all employees in the building cleaning trade. The Federal Guild Association of the Building Cleaning Trade criticizes this demand as being out of touch with economic reality.

The Federal Collective Bargaining Commission of the Industrial Union for Construction, Agriculture and the Environment (IG BAU) is demanding a two-euro-per-hour increase for all employees in the building cleaning trade in the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations. The new collective agreement should have a term of twelve months. The first round of negotiations will take place on September 9th.

"We are deliberately demanding a fixed amount so that, above all, the lower wage groups are raised," says Ulrike Laux, the IG BAU board member responsible for building cleaning. "Employees are suffering greatly from rising inflation. Food prices, energy costs, rents, and much more have risen immensely, creating real holes in household budgets."

Update: First round of negotiations ends without a result
The first round of wage negotiations on September 9, 2026, ended after three hours without an agreement. The IG BAU union is sticking to its demand for a two-euro increase per hour for a twelve-month contract. The employers continue to reject the increase of more than 13 percent. The second round of negotiations is scheduled for October 22 in Cologne. You can find more information about the current status here. here!

The burden on businesses continues to increase.

According to Laux, employers argue that they cannot grant wage increases because customers would not accept price increases. "In other trades, the price for performing the service is at least 45 or even over 60 euros per hour. In building cleaning, it's less than half that. That's a scandal." Companies, too, must do their part and share the profits with their employees.

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"Time is running out on us"

The Federal Guild Association of the Building Cleaning Trade (BIV) rejects the demand. "After years of stagnation and recession, the German economy remains in a weak phase. The exceptional years of inflation are behind us, but the burdens on businesses are not," explains Christian Kloevekorn, Chairman of the BIV's Tariff Commission.

Symbolic politics without reference to economic reality

In light of the political debates surrounding higher social security contributions and potential additional tax burdens, businesses must prepare for further increases in non-wage labor costs. "Our latest economic survey also shows the worst sentiment in the building cleaning sector since we began recording it. Customers, particularly from industry, offices, and administration, are reducing their orders."

Investments are being postponed and employment growth is slowing. Kloevekorn: "Against this backdrop, the IG Bau's wage proposal is not a responsible contribution to the industry, but rather symbolic politics without any connection to economic reality. Apparently, the worse the situation, the louder the demands. For businesses, employment, and the future of our labor-intensive trades, this is not a proposed solution, but rather part of the problem."

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