Collective wage agreement - Shopping again without strike-related restrictions
Thuringian consumers no longer have to fear purchasing restrictions due to strikes in shopping. The trade dispute in the retail sector in the Free State has now been settled, as representatives of the union Verdi and employers have announced. In the past few months, Verdi had repeatedly picketed supermarket warehouses.
The agreement, reached after 13 months, includes an overall increase of 12.1 percent in three steps and a inflation adjustment bonus of 1,000 Euro. In addition, pension provisions are to be improved. The collective bargaining agreement is valid until April 30, 2026. According to Verdi, there are 25,000 people employed in the Thuringian wholesale and foreign trade sector.
"The collective bargaining agreement was on the brink"
Verdi negotiator Torsten Furgol speaks of a "good collective wage agreement". The negotiator for the employers' side, Judith Röder, calls the agreement a "difficult birth". She is glad that a result has been achieved. "From our perspective, the collective bargaining agreement was on the brink."
Already on Friday, a collective wage agreement was reached in the retail and mail order trade in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. In all three federal states, there had been frequent work stoppages in the long-running collective bargaining dispute. While negotiations in the retail sector were conducted jointly for all three federal states, the talks in the wholesale sector took place separately.
- The collective wage agreement, which includes an inflation adjustment bonus of 1,000 Euro, has put an end to the restriction fears in retail trade for Thuringia consumers.
- Tariffs were a key point of contention in the collective wage dispute between the United Services Union (Verdi) and employers, but they were not mentioned in the final agreement.
- Despite the difficulty of reaching an agreement, the United Services Union and the employers in Erfurt's retail trade sector were able to settle their wage dispute, avoiding a potential warning strike.
- The collective wage agreement, which is valid until April 30, 2026, includes pension provisions and a 12.1% overall increase in wages divided into three steps for the 25,000 employees in Thuringia's wholesale and foreign trade sector.
- The success of negotiating a collective wage agreement in Thuringia's retail trade sector may influence future negotiations in other industries, possibly leading to fewer trade disputes and work stoppages.
