Definition and classification
Through industry supplement agreements (TV BZ) , temporary workers approach the pay of comparable permanent staff in stages: after a certain time on assignment with the same client, supplements are added to the collectively agreed base wage. The equal treatment principle is anchored in the AÜG but may be modified by collective agreement.
Not every temporary worker receives industry supplements – they apply only to staffing providers and workers in certain industries. Hirers have to state which industry they belong to; this can be checked with the employment agency, the professional associations, the chambers of skilled crafts or the trade office. The amount varies by industry and rises progressively over time by up to 65 % – the staffing provider is responsible for granting it.
How does the industry supplement agreement relate to equal pay?
As part of the equal treatment principle (§ 8 AÜG), statutory Equal Pay guarantees the temporary worker the same pay as comparable permanent staff after nine months of uninterrupted assignment at the latest (only a break of more than three months interrupts it). The principle applies to every form of remuneration, for example capital-forming benefits or premiums. If the worker already earns more, pay is not reduced (protection of existing entitlements). Through the right to information under § 13 AÜG , the temporary worker obtains the comparable figure; where there is no comparable permanent staff, a notional wage applies, at the level they would receive as a permanent employee of the client.
Differences between the collective agreements
Equal pay under a collective agreement differs from the statutory version: the full alignment only has to happen after a maximum of 15 months of uninterrupted assignment (here too the rule about a break of more than three months applies). The alignment happens step by step – the first increase usually after six weeks of onboarding. The size of the supplements depends on the pay grade (1 to 9), the place of work and the period of the assignment.
What else do the collective agreements govern?
There are two valid industry-wide agreements, concluded by the DGB with BAP and with iGZ respectively; although BAP and iGZ merged in 2023 into the GVP , the individual agreements continue to apply for now. The core points of the base agreement are the regulation of all essential working conditions (working time, pay, holiday, annual special payments, premiums), a nine-step pay system, pay grades based solely on the activity performed (not on qualifications), a levelled monthly wage and a flexible working time account.