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 Beamter.
The original idea was that whoever represents the state by doing official duties (hoheitliche Aufgaben) such as issuing official documents, making official decisions, and so on, should have a special kind of employment with the state.
Today, such functions are often executed by non-Beamte, and hence the difference is primarily seen in the advantages such as a good salary, a special health plan (the Beihilfe, which takes over one half of many of the expenses, while the Beamten have to insure themselves against the other half or, like any other employee, have to pay for all of the expenses for certain treatment excluded from refunding), an index-linked pension of max. 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 misdemeanor).
The special employment of a Beamter is not being set up by signing a contract, but by a diploma of appointment handed over to the candidate, who has, in return, to take an oath on the constitution (Grundgesetz).
The status of Beamter is enjoyed by the staff of public authorities and civil services, but also by judges, policemen, soldiers and officers, teachers (not all of them) and like professionals, and by holders of political offices such as mayors, ministers, etc. (here, the employment is not permanent of course, but limited until the next election). A notable disadvantage or compensation 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 has been cut to zero and Christmas bonus by 40 %.
Formerly, this status was more liberally bestowed, and as it cannot be taken away there are still a lot of Beamte among the older people working at post offices, the railway, the Deutsche Telekom, the public utility companies, etc. 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.
Today, the state aims to reduce the eligibility of state employees for Beamter status due to the higher costs of the additional privileges.de:Beamter nl:Ambtenaar