Collective bargaining talks for the approximately 95,000 employees in the German printing industry, which began in Berlin, have been adjourned. Employers rejected the demand by the United Services Union (ver.di) for a seven percent wage and salary increase over a 12-month term, citing the sector’s persistently difficult economic situation as the reason why such a move was not feasible.
The talks took place in a constructive atmosphere. Nevertheless, no alignment of positions was achieved. Dr. Klemens Berktold, the employers’ chief negotiator for the printing industry and Managing Director of FUNKE Druckzentrum Niedersachsen GmbH, appealed to the sense of responsibility of the employee representatives: “Given the structural problems facing our industry, ver.di’s demands do not constitute a realistic basis for negotiation.”
The industry’s situation must serve as the benchmark for responsible collective bargaining policy. The printing industry remains under significant economic pressure. Like many other industrial sectors, it is affected by declining revenues, insolvencies, and foreign competition. In the employers’ view, a collective agreement at the level demanded by ver.di would place an excessive burden on companies in the current climate and further impair their competitiveness.
Berktold therefore urged the union to take the economic framework conditions into account in future negotiations: “We, the employers, call upon ver.di to face up to our shared responsibility for the future of our industry and to find solutions that are fair to both companies and employees. Our goal is moderate pay increases combined with a longer contract term, providing companies with planning security while simultaneously addressing the interests of the workforce.”
Negotiations are scheduled to resume in Berlin on August 25.
BVDM
The Federal Association of Printing and Media (BVDM) is the umbrella organization for the German printing industry. As an employers’ association, a political business association, and a technical trade association, it represents the positions and objectives of the printing industry vis-à-vis policymakers, public authorities, trade unions, and the supplier industry. The BVDM is supported by eight regional associations. At the international level, it operates through its membership in Intergraf and FESPA. The printing industry currently comprises around 6,300—predominantly small and medium-sized—enterprises employing more than 99,000 people subject to social security contributions.
