Agreement in the wage dispute - More money for employees in wholesale and foreign trade
After the longest collective bargaining round in the retail and wholesale trade sector in Baden-Württemberg, which lasted over 14 months, employees will receive more money. In the eighth round of negotiations in Cornatal-Münchingen near Stuttgart, employers and Verdi union agreed, according to mutual statements, on a result.
Accordingly, wages will be increased retroactively by 5.1% from October 1, 2023, and by 5.0% from May 1, 2024. From May 1, 2025, there is an agreement for an additional increase of 2.0%. Employees will also receive a one-time inflation adjustment premium of 1000 Euro (full-time) and an annual pension contribution of 480 Euro. The collective agreement has a term of 36 months and is aligned with the Bavarian pilot settlement.
"This now achieved collective bargaining result is a compromise, with which we can be satisfied," explained Verdi negotiator Wolfgang Kruger. Gerhard Bosch, member of the presidium and chairman of the joint tariff commission of Großhandel-BW and the Cooperative Employers' Association, spoke in a statement of a "painful compromise, which will push some employers to the limit of economic feasibility." The collective agreement will take effect, unless one of the two negotiating parties withdraws it before July 11.
The industry in the Southwest generates a turnover of around 284 billion Euro according to employers' statements. About 307,000 people are employed in more than 20,000 companies, such as the supermarket chain Edeka and the pharmacy wholesaler Phoenix. Immediately affected by the wage negotiations are, according to Verdi, and 190,000 employees.
- The wage increase, a result of the longest foreign trade dispute in the retail and wholesale trade sector in Baden-Württemberg, will benefit over 190,000 employees.
- The United Services Union (Verdi) and the employers in Korntal-Münchingen, near Stuttgart, reached a compromise during the eighth collective bargaining round, affecting trade across Baden-Württemberg.
- The agreement includes a series of wage increases, starting from October 1, 2023, and continuing throughout 2024 and 2025, as well as a one-time inflation adjustment premium and an annual pension contribution.
- In contrast to Verdi's satisfaction with the agreement, some Baden-Württemberg employers, including the Cooperative Employers' Association, view the wage increases as putting them under significant economic strain.
- The industrial sector in Baden-Württemberg, with an annual turnover of approximately 284 billion Euro, will face adjustments in tariffs due to the outcome of this collective bargaining round.
