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Civil servants in Lower Saxony: Contradictions with pay – now things are getting serious!
The article provides information about the current contradictions of civil servants in Bremen against their pay and the agreement between the state government and the unions.
Civil servants in Lower Saxony: Contradictions with pay – now things are getting serious!
In Lower Saxony, the issue of civil servant pay is back in the spotlight. As ver.di reports, on April 22, 2025, the Ministry of Finance instructed the departments to accept objections from salary recipients modest. These contradictions relate to the constitutionality or adequacy of alimony, particularly with regard to the salary periods from 2023.
The matter now stands that a significant number of civil servants have raised their concerns in 2023 and 2024. These concerns have been raised among DGB unions such as ver.di, GEW and GdP. In order to avert the threatened wave of lawsuits, Finance Minister Heere was asked to consider a model lawsuit agreement, which he initially rejected.
An amicable path to model lawsuits
However, in a crisis meeting with the Minister of Justice, the state government agreed on a procedure that aims to clarify the contradictions. Objections will not be addressed for the time being until the model lawsuit proceedings have been legally concluded. The unions are now asked to name civil servants who are prepared to file model lawsuits against their salaries for 2023 or 2024. Those responsible want to cover as wide a spectrum of case constellations as possible in order to clarify the matter in a legally secure manner.
Statistics show that up to 34,000 objections were received for 2023 and around 28,000 for 2024. The Lower Saxony State Office for Remuneration and Pensions will be responsible for processing these contradictions. For all other civil servants who continue to view their salary as unlawful, the situation remains the same: an objection must be lodged every year. This is necessary according to the new Lower Saxony Salary Act, as alimony was newly regulated in 2022.
The legal background
There are several factors behind the current uncertainty in salaries. According to Officersbesoldung.org, salary rounds for civil servants at the federal, local and state levels take place every two to three years. Research results show that the last pay round for federal civil servants took place in January 2023. There was an increase of 200 euros and 5.3 percent, although there was also a zero round in the same year.
In the latest salary round for state civil servants, which ran from October to December 2023, a flat-rate increase of 200 euros from November 1, 2024 was decided for all states except Baden-Württemberg, as well as a further increase of 5.5 percent from February 1, 2025. In addition, there was a one-off payment of 3,000 euros as an inflation mitigation bonus for all federal states.
A judicial clarification process is therefore necessary to clarify the controversial questions surrounding the appropriateness of the salary. The aim is to relieve the administration of the administrative courts and to provide rapid clarity for the officials affected.
How things will develop further remains to be seen. Trade unions, the state government and the judiciary are sitting at the same table, and the outcome of these talks could have far-reaching consequences for the civil service in Lower Saxony. Stay up to date!