Before the start of the new collective bargaining in retail, the Verdi union is demanding income increases for employees that are well above inflation.
“Employers have to make improvements,” said Federal Executive Board member Silke Zimmer. “An income that employees can live on is urgently needed.” This is currently not the case. The average salary in retail is significantly lower than in the economy as a whole.
Representatives of the regional tariff commissions agreed this week in Kassel on the new round of tariffs for wholesale and foreign trade as well as retail and mail order. Negotiations in the first tariff areas will start in April. Talks will begin in Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia on April 24th and in Rhineland-Palatinate on April 28th.
When asked, Zimmer did not provide any specific figures. It was simply said that the qualifications from other sectors are based on the results. The survey of employees is still ongoing. The districts should make the specific demands public in March.
Verdi: Many employees are threatened with poverty in old age
Even before negotiations begin, the employers’ side warns against unrealistic demands and calls on the union to exercise caution. The German Trade Association (HDE) sees “no room for maneuver this time” given the difficult economic conditions.
Managing director Stefan Genth said: “Retail sales are not increasing to the same extent as costs are growing.” The pressure in the industry is higher than it has been for a long time. He warned of further job cuts: “Excessive costs would fuel this.”
Verdi federal executive Zimmer objected. The economic situation is stable and numerous companies are making profits. In 2025, retail sales increased by 2.7 percent after adjusting for prices. However, after deducting fixed costs, employees have “almost no freely available money”. Many are at risk of poverty in old age. Wages are not only a cost factor, but also boost consumer sentiment, said Zimmer.
Plus of 14 percent in the last round of collective bargaining
According to Verdi, around 5.2 million people work in retail in this country, 3.4 million of whom work in retail. The previous collective bargaining negotiations dragged on for more than a year. In the end, retail employees were able to look forward to a total income increase of around 14 percent for 2023 to 2025.
Collective bargaining coverage in the industry has been declining for years and is comparatively low. According to the Institute for Labor Market and Occupational Research, in 2024 23 percent of retail employees were employed by an employer bound by collective agreements. In the overall economy the share was 49 percent.
