In Germany, almost 3.5 million state-level employees and civil servants will receive a 2.8 percent raise and a tax-free COVID-19 bonus of 1,300 euros ($1,470) next year.

The agreement announced by the Verdi and dbb unions also will see higher wages and hazard pay for workers in several medical and care professions, as well a tax-free bonus of 650 euros ($735) for trainees and interns.

The unions had previously requested a 5% pay raise, citing increased costs of living and the additional strains their members were under while working during the pandemic.

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Following a series of strikes, mainly in the healthcare sector, the unions and most of Germany’s 16 states have reached an agreement that will last for two years.

Except in Hesse, where a similar agreement was signed last month, it covers public hospitals, schools, police, fire services, and bureaucrats in all states.

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