Negotiating your pay and benefits?

Terms of remuneration are fixed in:

• company agreements or collective bargain­ing agreements (made by the employers with active company trade union organisations);

• pay regulations (in the case of employers with at least 20 employees who are not sub­ject to a company agreement or a collective bargaining agreement); and/or

• employment contracts.

Employees are usually paid per unit of time worked (hour, day or month) or, in some cases, per unit of work completed (piecework). The employee is paid at least once a month, on a fixed pre-arranged date.

Candidates should negotiate their pay with the employer before signing the contract.

Bonuses depend on results achieved. During holiday leave, an employee receives the nor­mal pay agreed on in the employment con­tract. Non-statutory benefits may include meal vouchers, a pension scheme, health insur­ance, a Christmas bonus, a reward for spe­cial achievements and performance, and an encouragement of personal development, especially in the private sector.