The third round of negotiations between the service sector union ver.di and the German Association of Private Insurers (AGV) has concluded without an agreement. The tone had sharpened beforehand, with the union rejecting the employers' initial offer as "completely unacceptable" and responding with several warning strikes.
In this latest round, employer representatives moved closer to union demands. Key changes in the revised offer include:
- Shortened Contract Term: Reduced from 35 months to 28 months.
- Higher Initial Raise: A 4.8% wage increase effective August 1, 2025 (up from an original offer of 3.6% in September).
- Second Raise: A further 3.3% increase scheduled for September 1, 2026.
- Removed Third Stage: The previously offered third increase stage was eliminated, resulting in a total proposed increase of 8.29% over the term, compared to the prior 8.63%.
Improvements were also made for lower wage groups. All pay grades in tariff group B are to be raised to the level of the highest B-step (€2,334). Additionally, tariff group A will be aligned with the second step of group B (€2,261). Both groups will participate in the agreed linear increases.
A further focus is on apprentices and career starters: training allowances are now proposed to increase by €220 per month. The new offer also includes several extensions of existing agreements and opening clauses, such as prolonging part-time retirement schemes and regulations on temporary work until the end of 2027.
Union Response: Offer Still Falls Short
For the employee side, these improvements were not sufficient. Consequently, negotiations were broken off after four hours. While a slightly improved offer was acknowledged, ver.di stated it remained "still insufficient."
"In an economically strong sector with record profits and rising dividends, the employees who are responsible for these successes have once again been presented with an absolutely unacceptable offer," explained ver.di lead negotiator Martina Grundler.
The union had demanded a 12% wage increase over a 12-month term and a €250 raise in training allowances. "It cannot be that an industry is literally flourishing—and the employees are hardly participating in this success," emphasized the union representative.
Next Steps: Increased Pressure and Further Strikes
A new negotiation date has not yet been set. However, the union announced plans to increase pressure on employers and call for further warning strikes. Already on Friday, at the start of the negotiations, around 700 strikers demonstrated their demands. Since the previous bargaining round, more than 7,000 employees nationwide have participated in strikes.
The ongoing labor dispute in the insurance sector highlights the tension between a profitable industry and its workforce's demands for a fair share of that success. The outcome of these collective bargaining talks will have significant implications for insurance industry employment conditions and operational stability in the coming months.