A new collective bargaining agreement has been reached in Hamburg between Verdi, a trade union representing service workers and the Bundesverband Digitalpublisher und Zeitungsverleger (BDZV), the Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers. The agreement addresses compensation for editors working at daily newspapers across Germany.
Negotiators from Verdi hailed the deal as a necessary correction following years of real wage losses. The new terms stipulate salary increases in three stages, totaling an average rise of 10.5% by 2027. Specific gains are particularly significant for those entering the profession and for trainees, with percentage increases ranging from 11.5% to 16%.
The agreement, covering a 36-month period and retroactive to January 2025, follows a series of strikes that impacted 36 publishers and newsrooms nationwide, lasting up to six days.
Salaries will see a uniform increase of €190 per month this year (with €100 increases in March and April), resulting in back payments of €770. Further increases are scheduled for March 2026 (3%) and February 2027 (€110 fixed amount). Percentage-based increases will also apply to freelance workers performing similar functions.
The three tiers of increases will result in a pay rise of approximately 15% to 16% for trainees and an 11.5% increase for entry-level editors by February 2027. Furthermore, for employees hired from 2026 onwards, the collective agreement salary will be factored into holiday pay calculations. Proposals for structural changes put forward by the BDZV were rejected.
Both parties have agreed to a period of explanation until August 1st.
