Verdi, the services union, has called on workers at the cinema chains Cinestar and UCI to stage a warning strike during the Berlin International Film Festival weekend. The walk‑out is scheduled to take place at the Cinestar CUBIX in Alexanderplatz, the union announced on Friday.
“We’re making a visible statement with this strike: glamorous film festivals and precarious working conditions simply cannot coexist” explained negotiator Andreas Köhn. While the capital dazzles with the Berlinale, many cinema employees are still fighting for wages that allow them to earn a living.
Cinestar has yet to present an offer in the current collective‑bargaining round and believes the statutory minimum wage is adequate. UCI has, in a first step, proposed a 14‑cent increase; from January 2027 it will pay the then applicable minimum wage of €14.60. Similar strike calls have been made in Leipzig, Frankfurt, and Mainz.
Verdi’s core demand is a starting wage of at least €16 per hour. Additional negotiation meetings are scheduled: February 17 2026 with Cinestar and March 3 2026 with UCI.
