...in Germany state governments and public-sector trade unions have agreed on a two-year pay accord for some 585,000 employees in the sector. Public-sector employees got a one-off payment of €360 (£321) under the deal, and a regular rise of 1.5 per cent from April 1.
On January 1, 2012 they will get another 1.9 per cent pay rise plus €17 per month, which amounts to an effective average raise of 2.55 per cent, according to the Verdi trade union.
The deal runs until December 31 2012.
Meanwhile British banks award themselves ever increasing salaries and bonuses, pay increasingly small amounts of capital gains tax and steadfastdly refuse to be reigned in or regulated in any meaningful way.
