Bonn, 13. June 2012
HRK Senate: Retaining of the “W” salary scale and raising of professorial salaries
With regard to the remuneration of professors, it is important to keep reinforcing the principle of performance-related pay consistent with working in science and research.
The academic “W” salary scale must therefore be retained. This was emphasised by the Senate of the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) yesterday in Bonn. The universities consider their freedom to decide on performance criteria and performance-related pay as a prerequisite for the successful further development of their individual goals and profiles.
In February, the Federal Constitutional Court declared that the W2-salary for professors in Hesse was unconstitutional as it violated the maintenance principle (Alimentationsprinzip), i.e. the basic salary at issue was not appropriate to the post of professor.
In light of this decision, the HRK Senate, on suggestion of a working group, has now prepared a draft resolution regarding future professorial pay. In it, the HRK presses for the “W” pay system to be retained while basic salaries are adequately increased.
According to the Federal Constitutional Court ruling, the federal states would have to bear the costs of any necessary salary and pension increases and would not be able to pass these on to the already underfunded universities. The HRK Senate is also convinced that the states should jointly agree on and harmonise the basic elements of the “W” salary scale. If the requirements and responsibilities of professors are virtually identical, the salary scales should likewise not differ substantially from state to state.
Moreover, the allocation framework – which severely restricts the level of performance-related bonus payments in some states – could no longer be justified.
Text of the HRK resolution (in German)
