Public sector wage reform taking shape

The long-awaited reform of the complex system of public sector wages is gradually taking shape. The government appears to have opted for a gradual approach and guidelines confirmed last week show that some steps will not be completed until 2027, a timeline that trade unions find problematic.

While the plan is to have the bill in parliamentary procedure in July at the latest so that it can enter into effect as of 2024, only the bottom third of the wage brackets would be translated to the new system in 2025 and the rest in 2026. For the top brackets, the new system would not enter...