The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) criticizes the continuing wage gap between East and West. The wage difference is 19 percent, which means that employees in eastern Germany will be working without pay from October 22 until the end of the year, said Susanne Wiedemeyer, head of the DGB in Saxony-Anhalt. "Unity has still not been achieved in terms of wages." A wage gap of around 800 euros a month inevitably leads to frustration.
"I understand that some East Germans feel like second-class citizens," said Wiedemeyer. According to the Federal Statistical Office's 2023 earnings survey, full-time employees in the eastern German states received an average gross salary of 3,563 euros per month, compared to around 4,401 euros in the western German states. According to the DGB, it analyzed data from the Federal Statistical Office on average earnings in eastern and western Germany.
