Beamter
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The German word Beamter (female: Beamtin, plural: Beamte) means civil servant, and is pronounced be-AHM-tuhr with a glottal stop between the E and A. This English translation may be ambiguous, as German law puts public employees into two classes, namely ordinary employees (Angestellte) and Beamte.
The original idea was that whoever represents the state by doing official duties (hoheitliche Aufgaben), such as issuing official documents or making official decisions, should have a special kind of employment with the state.
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[edit] Advantages
Today, such functions are often executed by non-Beamte, which means that the position of Beamte is mainly distinguished by the advantages that it confers, such as a good salary, a special health plan (the Beihilfe, which takes one half of many of the expenses), an index-linked pension of (at most) 71.5% of the last salary paid directly by the state instead of the usual public (also state-run) pension insurance, and most importantly, the virtual impossibility of losing one's job (basically, the state may only terminate the employment in case of very serious misdemeanour).
[edit] Disadvantages
One notable disadvantage is that Beamte, unlike all other public or private employees, lack the right to strike. Furthermore, the salary and working week are defined by law and not by negotiations between employers and unions. As a result, the usual working week for public employees is 38.5 hours; for Beamte, 40 to 42 hours. In 2004, holiday pay was cut to zero and the Christmas bonus by 40%. In some federal states the so called Christmas bonus is cut to zero since 2002, for example Saxony-Anhalt.
[edit] Becoming a Beamter
One becomes a Beamter not by signing a contract, but rather by receiving a diploma of appointment; the -now a Beamter- must as his first duty, take an oath on the constitution (Grundgesetz) and the respective federal country.
[edit] Areas in which Beamte work
The status of Beamter is enjoyed by the staff of public authorities and civil services, but also by policemen, soldiers and officers, some teachers and other professionals, and by holders of political offices such as mayors, ministers, etc. However, for holders of political offices the status of Beamter is not permanent and is only applicable for the period of time the holder is in office. German teachers also are usually "Beamte", but not in the "New federal states with very few exceptions.
Formerly, this status was more liberally bestowed, and as it cannot be taken away there are still many Beamte amongst older people working at post offices, the railway, the Deutsche Telekom, the public utility companies etcetera. The staff of an average local authority in Germany is split into one-third who are Beamte and two-thirds who are ordinary employees. The police are virtually 100% Beamte. Newly there are police-employees too.[citation needed]
Today, the state aims to reduce the eligibility of state employees for Beamter status due to the supposed higher costs of the additional "privileges", which is very controversial.[citation needed]
[edit] Income
All Beamte are paid according to the Bundesbesoldungsgesetz (Federal Salary Bill), be they employed in the office of a village or at the ministry.[citation needed]. This is now changed, the 16 federal countries have now the possibility to pay lower or higher salaries, this depend if it is a "rich" or a "poor" country ("Rich" for ex. Bavaria, Baden-Wuerttemberg or Hesse, "poor" the most eastern countries like Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Berlin), the so-called "North-South divide" in Germany.
The term "Beamtentum" (~officialdom) is known even in the English-speaking world. In Germany, state employees are permanent workers, i.e. they can regularly not be dismissed, are paid some necessary "social insurances" and get a little more money than others. A dismissal is possible during longer illness, i.e. three months within a half year. Then it is possible to dismiss him during the probation period. After the probation period he can retired and get a pension on the basis of the actual time of the years of service. For ex. 25 years of service 44.84 per cent minus 3.6 per cent for every year before a regurlarly retirement. The minus are maximal 10.8 per cent of the last charge, which he must have had officiates at least three years, otherwise he get the pension on the basis of the next official below). If it is better, he get a minimum, which are 65 percent of the Besoldungsgruppe A 4 BBesG (On 01/01/2003 : 1.174,81 EUR pre-tax, less disbursements taxation and financial contributions for the private medical insurance).
In the "New* federal states (SBZ/former DDR) the greatest parts of the teachers are not Beamte. Here are avored the headmasters and some specialists (lecturer teaching career at schools providing vocational education and at grammar schools). Compared to other employees, civil servants 'only' have to pay taxes (even, when they are retired, up to his death and afterwards his widow and orphans too, so long as they get state-provision) and regularly 50 (after retirement at the age of 65 - in the future at the age of 67 - years 70%) per cent of their health private insurance up to his death. Every child have to insure indiviually max. to the 25th year (f.e. if studying, if not, then earlier, regularly apprenticeship will take 2 1/2 - 3 years).
"Normal" employees, workers etc. also have to pay money for the retirement office, the full health insurance (they get a subsidy for this over ca. 50 percent from the state), out-of-work insurance schemes etc. At this time they pay very few taxes after their retirement, before 2003 no taxes. This is now changeed and endure thirty years. After the retirement the employee have to pay no health insurance and taxes.
In total it is not possible to compare the retirement benefits and the salaries of Beamte and employees because they are total different systems.
[edit] Titles
Lower service (rare)
- A2: Oberamtsgehilfe
- A3: Hauptamtsgehilfe
- A4: Amtsmeister
- A5: Oberamtsmeister
Middle Service:
- A5: [Assistent disestablished]
- A6: Sekretär
- A7: Meister, Obersekretär
- A8: Obermeister, Hauptsekretär
- A9: Hauptmeister, Amtsinspektor
- A9+AZ:Amtsinspektor mit Amtszulage
Upper service
- A9: Inspektor
- A10: Oberinspektor
- A11: Amtmann, Amtfrau
- A12: Amtsrat
- A13: Oberamtsrat
Upper service at the police (police officer)
- A9: Kommissar
- A10: Oberkommissar
- A11: Hauptkommissar
- A12: Hauptkommissar
- A13: Erster Hauptkommissar
Higher Service
- A13: Rat, e.g.: Studienrat, Medizinalrat, Baurat, Bibliotheksrat, Verwaltungsrat, Regierungsrat
- A14: Oberrat, e.g. Akademischer Oberrat, Chemieoberrat, Biologieoberrat, Oberregierungsrat
- A15: Direktor, e.g. Polizeidirektor, Kriminaldirektor, Psychologiedirektor, Pharmaziedirektor
- A16: Leitender Direktor, e.g. Oberstadtdirektor, Leitender Finanzdirektor, Leitender Medizinaldirektor, Ministerialrat
- B1: Direktor
- B2: Ministerialrat
- B3: Botschafter
- B4: Leitender Ministerialrat
- B5: Ministerialdirigent
- B6: Botschafter Erster Klasse
- B7: Präsident größerer Bundesämter
- B8: Regierungspräsident
- B9: Ministerialdirektor
- B10: Direktor des Deutschen Bundestages
- B11: Staatssekretär (as Beamter)
- Bundesminister: 1 1/3 x B11 (federal ministers) not a 'Beamter'
- Bundeskanzler: 1 2/3 x B11 (federal chancellor) not a 'Beamter'
- Bundespraesident: 1 5/6 x B11 (federal president) not a 'Beamter'
- W1: Juniorprofessor
- W2: Professor
- W3: Professor
- C1: Wissenschaftlicher Assistent
- C2: Wissenschaftlicher Oberassistent
- C3: Professor (Extraordinarius)
- C4: Professor (Ordinarius; Lehrstuhlinhaber -rare-)
- R1: Amtsrichter, Staatsanwalt
- R2: Oberamtsrichter, Oberstaatsanwalt
- R3: Leitender Oberstaatsanwalt R3
- R4: Leitender Oberstaatsanwalt R4
- R5: Generalstaatsanwalt
- R6: Bundesanwalt
- R7: Abteilungsleiter bei der Bundesanwaltschaft
- R8: Vorsitzender Richter
- R9: Generalbundesanwalt
- R10: Präsident(en) der Bundesgerichte
[edit] Reform process
The German government has tried to reform the Beamtentum for a conserable period of time. The salary class C has already been replaced by class W, and until 2011, the salary classes A and B will have been replaced by a new class F (for function; Funktion). For this salary class, there will be no more any family benefits. Instead, there will be different benefits for good work, so that for good Beamte, the salaries are going to increase, whereas for the others, there will be less money left in the end.
Old > New A F B " C W R R (stays) A2 F1 A3 F2 ... A13 F14 ... A16 F15 B1 B2 F16 B3 F17 B4 F18 ... B10 F24 B11 F25
[edit] The Bundesbesoldungsgesetz
There are several differents Besoldungsordnungen: A (for most of the Beamte and soldiers), B(for ministry officials), C(for university professors; has been replaced by W),R (for public prosecuters and all judges) and W for university lecturers and professors. The salaries in the A-order are organized in steps, i.e. the longer a Beamter has been working, the better he or she is paid. The different groups reach from A2 to A 16 (A1 was outlawed in the 1970's). A2 to A5 belong to the Lower Service, A 6 to A 9 to the Middle Service, A 9 to A 13 to the Upper Service and A 13 to A 16 to the Higher Service. The other orders, B, C, R and W, also belong to the Higher Service. To be made a Beamter of the Upper Service, all applicants need their Abitur (comparable to British A-levels) and then study in the past at a college owned by the different offices and institutions. Since 1974 they study at a University of applied sciences in administration six semesters and graduate with a comparable BA hon. (diploma). In the future it will be possible, to study 4 semester more and finish with the "Master of Public Administration" and to begin in the Higher Service or with six semester as a "Bachelor of Public Adminisration" and begin in the Upper Service. Applicants for the Higher Service need regurlarly a MA or comparable university degree.
