The union Verdi has confirmed that its members have overwhelmingly approved a new pay agreement with TÜV Bund, a significant technical inspection and certification organization, signaling a hard-won victory after months of protracted negotiations. The finalized deal, ratified with 78% approval in a member survey, impacts approximately 10,000 employees across TÜV Nord, the Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) and TÜV Hessen.
The agreement provides for a 3.0% salary increase effective October 2025, followed by a further 2.6% rise in January 2027. A one-off payment of €280 will be disbursed to employees covering the period between July and September 2025. Further bolstering employee benefits, vacation allowances will be supplemented with a €7.10 per vacation day allowance, beginning in June 2027, excluding GRS employees.
Perhaps most notably, union members will also receive a free Deutschlandticket, effectively covering public transport costs, from December 2025 until the end of 2027. This provision highlights the union’s focus on broader employee welfare beyond purely wage-based benefits.
Verdi negotiator Michael Aschenbach characterized the outcome as a testament to persistent effort, explicitly citing ‘a period of blockade’ by employers during the bargaining process. While the agreed-upon wage increases might be viewed by some as modest in the current economic climate, the inclusion of the free transportation pass and the relatively swift implementation of the first wage hike, backdated to July 2025, are demonstrating Verdi’s ability to leverage collective bargaining power.
However, the exclusion of GRS employees from the vacation allowance increase and the overall incremental nature of the wage growth has fueled questions about the limitations of the deal and whether it adequately addresses long-term financial pressures on TÜV Bund’s workforce. Critics argue that the deal, while positive, might not be sufficient to retain skilled employees and safeguard the organization’s operational capacity, particularly in a sector facing increasing demands and regulatory scrutiny. The long-term impact of this agreement and its influence on future negotiations remains to be seen.