Verdi has called a full‑day strike for today’s Friday, targeting roughly 800 employees of the German Press Agency (dpa). The walk‑out will affect the agency itself, its regional offices, the Berlin newsroom and the affiliated companies that the union reported.
The warning strike aims to inject momentum into stalled collective bargaining talks that involve Verdi, the DJV and the dpa management. Verdi’s negotiator Matthias von Fintel described the day as “historic” noting that it is the first full‑day work stoppage in the agency’s history; the last major stoppage in 2019 lasted only two hours.
Union demands call for a fixed monthly wage increase of €250 in 2026 and a 2.5 % rise in 2027, to be paid over an 18‑month period. According to Verdi, the agency’s most recent offer from the second negotiation round proposed a 2.3 % rise in 2026 or, alternatively, a flat €110 increase, and a 2.5 % rise in 2027. After two additional rounds-most recently on 17 March-dpa has made no further proposals to staff. The next round of collective bargaining is scheduled for 27 March in Berlin.
