Emergency service in the Oder-Spree district: collective agreement creates clarity!

Emergency service in the Oder-Spree district: collective agreement creates clarity!

On October 30, 2025, there was significant progress in the negotiations between the dbb and the management of the emergency service in the Oder-Spree district. This marks the result of long and intensive discussions aimed at improving working conditions in the emergency services. From January 1, 2027, the weekly working hours for active rescue personnel will be gradually reduced to 46 hours, followed by a further reduction to 44 hours from January 1, 2028. These changes are a response to the changing needs and challenges that the emergency services in Germany have to overcome.

Another positive aspect of the agreement is that from January 1, 2026, changing time will no longer be factored, which should further improve the working conditions of rescue workers. An additional incentive for employees will be the retroactive increase in the annual special payment to 90 percent from 2025. With the introduction of honeycomb allowances for operations outside the main station from March 1, 2026 and a flat rate of 12 euros per operation from the 6th operation, financial support for the rescue workers will also be clearly improved.

The challenges of the emergency services

The rescue service is on duty around the clock and provides quick and professional help in medical emergencies such as injuries, poisoning and illnesses. The importance of this service becomes particularly clear when you look at the increasing number of operations - in 2020/21 there were around 13 million rescue operations in Germany. This number illustrates how important it is to have well-trained rescue workers who work under a high level of stress and responsibility despite being subjected to considerable strain.

The agreement between the dbb and the rescue service in the Oder-Spree district is valid until July 31, 2027 and is subject to the condition that there is no objection by November 16, 2025. The current regulation follows the company collective agreement of “Rettungsdienst im Landkreis Oder-Spree GmbH”, which has regulated the working and remuneration conditions for employees since 2012. The aim is to optimize working conditions in the spirit of the public service and to meet the specific challenges of the emergency services.

The rescue service at a glance

The rescue service in Germany has a long history, which began in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The first approaches to structured rescue can be traced back to the Napoleonic Wars, and a lot has changed since then: motorization of patient transport was introduced after the First World War, and the emergency number 112 was standardized across Europe. In Germany, the rescue service is financed by municipalities and health insurance companies and reflects the country's federal structure.

Over time, the role of the emergency services has evolved and to date there are still around 67,000 employees working in the emergency services, with men predominating. State and municipal services are responsible for the majority of emergency rescue, as the quality of operations and speed of assistance are crucial. From the 1970s onwards, the strict requirements for the rescue service were defined more clearly and the structures were reorganized - their indispensability to society is as evident as it is today.