We would like to share a press release1 from the FAU’s branch section, the Initiative Grüne Werke (IGG). The IGG advocates for the improvement of working and living conditions in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, landscaping, forestry, and environmental professions. In these sectors, they fight for occupational safety and health, aim to stand up for one another, and work together to address the concerns, demands, and struggles of every individual.
The CDU plans to target ALL farmworkers; the IGG says, “Not with us!”
On February 26, 2026, according to media reports, the CDU party convention in Stuttgart voted2 unanimously in favor of a motion to deny foreign seasonal workers the minimum wage. This is an attack on the wage levels of all workers in the industry. The trade union initiative IGG-FAU condemns this latest move and is threatening nationwide actions. It has been calling for a €15 minimum wage for all workers in the industry since 2025.3
Jasmin Hofer, a spokesperson for the IGG: “With its attacks on the retirement age, the 8-hour workday, part-time regulations, sick leave, unemployment benefits, and much more, the CDU is increasingly positioning itself as a party opposed to the rights of all wage earners. Now German workers are being pitted against foreign workers. But experience shows that when wages fall for one group, the overall wage level falls for everyone. Incidentally, this is happening in the very industry that feeds us and where there are constant complaints about a shortage of skilled workers.”
“Ultimately, no one who voted for this motion should be allowed to buy asparagus or strawberries anymore,” said Hofer, “but for now, we’re planning other union campaigns against the party. We’re also keeping a close eye on the SPD as a coalition partner, of course.”
Migrant seasonal workers, in particular, account for about one-third of the agricultural workforce in Germany. They work primarily in labor-intensive specialty crops and on small to medium-sized farms. They are already among the occupational groups with the lowest pay, the longest workdays, and the highest number of (often fatal) accidents.4 The IGG is calling for full parity in employment conditions for migrant seasonal workers, including social security, wages, and labor rights. In its policy statement, the union voted in May 2025 to fight for a minimum wage of €15 for all workers in horticulture, forestry, agriculture, and environmental professions.
- https://gruene-gewerke.fau.org/?p=642 ↩︎
- https://www.fr.de/wirtschaft/mindestlohn-soll-nicht-mehr-fuer-alle-gelten-cdu-parteitag-der-zr-94180686.html ↩︎
- The IGG's demands regarding company policy can be found here: https://gruene-gewerke.fau.org/?page_id=426 ↩︎
- In 2021 and 2023, 125 colleagues in the green sector lost their lives; in 2022, the number was 117. https://www.wochenblatt-dlv.de/feld-stall/landtechnik/toedliche-unfaelle-landwirtschaft-landwirte-wissen-muessen-579569 ↩︎
