The Equal Pay Act is here - what does it mean?
On average, men earn 21 percent more than us. A law has now been passed to ensure greater transparency and fairness in companies: Thanks to the Equal Pay Act, employed women can ask their boss about the salaries of their male colleagues on an equal footing. However, this is only possible from 2018 and from a company size of 200 employees. And: we don't find out the salary of individual colleagues, but an average salary.
Savings banks now charge fees for withdrawing money
40 out of 400 savings banks across Germany now charge their own customers fees for withdrawing money from ATMs. Depending on the account model, up to one euro is charged. Consumer advocates are outraged and fear that other savings banks and banks will soon follow suit. Those affected can cancel at any time and change banks. And they should - especially if they are already paying more than 60 euros a year for account management, transactions and Girocard. When switching, the old bank must ensure that standing orders continue to be processed via the new account.
Patients have to pay extra for more and more medicines
A recent survey by Pro Generika and the pharmacists' association ABDA confirms this: Patients now have to pay extra out of pocket (at least five euros) for prescription medicines much more frequently than they did six years ago. Since 2011, the number of medicines prescribed at no extra cost has almost halved.
A new online portal explains the consequences of marine litter
An unimaginable 140 million tons of waste are floating in our oceans. The consequences for humans and animals are difficult for laypeople to grasp. Marine researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven want to change that. They have compiled the results of more than 1,250 studies on their new data portal http://litterbase.awi.de.
Fast internet is often much slower than promised
What many disgruntled users have long suspected has now been proven in a study by the Federal Network Agency: Just twelve percent of landlines and five percent of mobile connections actually deliver the promised Internet speed. Consumers can check for themselves at www.breitbandmessung.de whether their connection delivers the right values. If it doesn't, they can ask the provider to make improvements - and terminate the contract prematurely if there is no improvement.