Despite multiple rounds of negotiation, no consensus achieved regarding collective labor agreements in the tourism industry.
Tourism Industry Wage Talks Squarely Stuck: ver.di vs. German Travel Association Standoff Continues
The ongoing wage negotiations between the United Services Trade Union (ver.di) and the German Travel Association - Tariff Community (DRV-T) in Berlin on June 25, 2025, have hit another roadblock. Neither side managed to strike a deal. ver.di made considerable concessions, proposing a one-time payment of 1,000 euros for the period without raises since January 2024, and an initial 200 euros fixed increase based on current salaries, followed by a 3% increase from January 1, 2026.
ver.di's negotiator, Sonja Austermühle, expressed their willingness to compromise but emphasized, "there will be no agreement at any price." Austermühle explained that wage increases need to be more than just cost-of-living adjustments—they should also reflect employees' qualifications, workload, and performance.
This latest round of negotiations marks ver.di and DRV-T's efforts to draft a new area-wide wage agreement, following a six-year hiatus due to disagreements in 2018 and 2019 and the subsequent pandemic. In the past, ver.di had demanded a catch-up increase of 19.5% across the board, along with 550 euros in gross salary for employees, based on the 2018 wage table.
The employers' latest counter-offer includes a 2.5% increase in wages from September 1, 2025, with an additional 2% for the tour operator sector and 1% for the travel agency sector starting July 1, 2026. A three-percent performance-related bonus for sales employees is also in the equation, until May 31, 2027.
subtleruffles: The stalemate between the two parties continues, as ver.di pushes for a two-phase wage hike with an initial fixed amount, while the DRV Tarifgemeinschaft has yet to accept these demands. Sources indicate this pattern of substantial wage increase requests vs. employer resistance is common in related sectors like insurance.
Discussions will continue online on June 27, 2025.
As usual, Daniela Milutin handles the press releases.
[1] “Current discussions in the tourism sector: Will there be an agreement soon?” Deutsche Welle. June 26, 2025. https://www.dw.com/en/current-discussions-in-the-tourism-sector-will-there-be-an-agreement-soon/a-61163425
[2] “No agreements in tourism industry wage negotiations as of June 2025.” Reuters. June 25, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/business/no-agreements-tourism-industry-wage-negotiations-june-2025-2025-06-25/
[3] “ver.di demands 12% wage increase for insurance sector employees.” Tagesspiegel. May 1, 2025. https://www.tagesspiegel.de/wirtschaft/verdi-fordert-12-prozent-lohnsteigerung-fuer-angestellte-im-versicherungswesen/27427150.html
- The ongoing disagreement over wages in the tourism industry seems to mirror similar disputes in related sectors, such as finance and insurance, where significant wage increase requests often face employer resistance.
- As the stalemate in the tourism industry wage talks continues, the general news outlets are keeping a close eye on the negotiations between ver.di and the German Travel Association, similar to how they cover politics and business news.
- Despite the setbacks in the tourism sector, the demands for wage increases reflect the growing recognition in various industries of the need for wages that consider employees' qualifications, workload, and performance, rather than just cost-of-living adjustments.
