Tariff negotiations - Film producers get extra days off during large shoots
Film professionals in Germany will receive an additional free day for larger productions starting next year. The Federal Association of Actors (BFFS) and the trade union Verdi have tentatively agreed on wage negotiations with the Production Alliance regarding this matter. Additionally, the pension scheme in the industry is expected to be renewed.
From 2025, film professionals - including actors, makeup artists, and assistant directors - will receive, according to Verdi, an additional free paid day for every 21 shooting days as compensation. Moreover, the working hours are to be limited to a maximum of twelve hours per day, and there will reportedly be new overtime allowances.
Tariff negotiations since September
The tariff negotiations had already begun in September 2023. Film professionals had demanded a four-day week and shorter working hours to improve working conditions on film sets.
Heinrich Schafmeister, tariff negotiation representative of the BFFS, stated, "The agreement on a completely new tariff contract for occupational pension schemes via the Rundfunk pension fund cannot be sufficiently acknowledged." He will primarily protect actors from poverty in old age, "who, unfortunately, have been the rule rather than the exception in our industry due to the inadequate legal protection."
No agreement yet on AI
According to Bjoern Bohning, spokesperson for the Production Alliance, the tariff round was marked by the "economic crisis in the film and television industry and was therefore under difficult circumstances." In total, eight tariff rounds had been particularly challenging. Now, an agreement has been reached that is painful but acceptable in crisis times.
The demand for handling Artificial Intelligence (AI) was also on the agenda. Since there are still open questions about this topic, no final conclusion has been reached in the negotiations, according to Verdi. The talks will therefore be continued.
The United Services Trade Union, along with Verdi, has been involved in tariff negotiations for film professionals in Germany since September 2023. The negotiations aim to improve working conditions, with demands for a four-day week and shorter working hours. Altersvorsorge, or the pension scheme, is also expected to be renewed as part of these negotiations. Make-up Artists, like other film professionals, stand to gain an additional free paid day for every 21 shooting days starting from 2025. However, the final decision on regulating Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the industry is yet to be reached in these tariff negotiations, which are taking place in Berlin.
