The members of the Bundestag are set to receive a record increase in their salaries, with 635.50 Euros more each month starting in July, bringing their total to over 11,000 Euros. This is the largest increase in almost 28 years, and is automatically tied to general wage development. The Left party has introduced a bill aiming to halt this increase, citing the strained budget situation of the federal government.
The Left party has put forward a proposal to stop the increase in salaries for members of the Bundestag this year, highlighting the challenging financial situation of the federal government. The bill states that due to the current economic and social conditions, there should be no raise in parliamentary compensation for 2024. The vote on this proposal is scheduled for June 6th, and the monthly compensation for members of parliament is adjusted yearly on July 1st based on the Nominal Wage Index.
The Nominal Wage Index recorded a 6.0 percent increase, which means that parliamentary salaries and pensions will also rise by the same percentage. This would result in an increase of 635.50 Euros for each member of the parliament, bringing their total monthly salaries to 11,227.20 Euros. This significant raise has not been seen since 1995, according to the Taxpayers Association, and has been criticized by several political parties, including the Left, the AfD, and the parliamentary group linked to Sahra Wagenknecht.
Critics argue that the increase is excessive, with the Vice-Speaker of the AfD, Stephan Brandner, calling it an “enormous cash injection” for the members of parliament. He expressed concern over the lack of debate surrounding the raise, pointing out that while regular workers have to fight for their salary adjustments, the parliamentarians have silently approved a substantial increase in their gross salaries. Despite the criticism, the raise is scheduled to go into effect in July for all 734 members of the Bundestag.
