German plans to support collective bargaining

The German government has begun consultation on how public procurement can be used to support collective bargaining. The intention is that the government will only award contracts to companies which can show that they are covered by a collective agreement with an appropriate union. Action in this area was promised as part of the coalition agreement signed by the government parties in 2021. Stefan Körzell of the DGB union confederation has called for rapid implementation of the proposal and has said that “effective monitoring and sanctions are needed” if it is to have an impact.