AT contracts in broadcasting Berlin-Brandenburg: Noticeable reduction in top salaries is coming

The Board of Directors of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) is aiming for a noticeable reduction in non-tariff salaries in the public broadcaster, the committee office announced on Friday. “rbb is about to make a new structural start, and the question of top salaries has an important substantive and high symbolic meaning. From the point of view of the Board of Directors, a noticeable reduction in these salaries is out of the question.”

Public service as a benchmark?

In doing so, the public service should not be lost sight of as a possible benchmark, and at the same time the situation in the broadcasting sector in general should not be disregarded. “The Board of Directors intends to make the final decision on the new concept for paying non-tariff employees on July 11,” said Benjamin Ehlers, Chairman of the Board of Directors on Friday.

The state audit offices of Berlin and Brandenburg had already critically noted the differences in the tariff structures in the public sector and at the RBB. The highest possible final tariffs were given as 6,274 euros (public service) and 10,329 euros (RBB). The Berlin Court of Auditors wants to comment on the broadcaster’s new AT concept in a timely manner.

The RBB has already decided to reduce the so-called AT positions from 31 to 17. In addition to the director and the management, this group also includes the so-called main department and content box heads. A first concept for this salary structure was decided in March by the then member of the Board of Directors, after the reconstitution of the body the topic should be discussed again in principle.

Dagmar Tille, deputy chairwoman of the board of directors: “With a new salary structure in this area, we want to serve rbb’s savings efforts on the one hand, and at the same time we have to restore the station’s ability to work. We have the opportunity to come to fundamentally new regulations here, which means preparing this decision well and then implementing it quickly.”

At its meeting on Thursday, the Administrative Board confirmed its expectation that the law firm Lutz|Abel, which was commissioned with the compliance investigations at RBB, will submit a reliable report to the committee by June 30th. The Board of Directors will then discuss and decide on this report and its further course of action at its next meeting.