A stalemate in the third round of wage negotiations in the private insurance industry has led to a breakdown in talks, with no new date for a meeting set, according to the United Services and Service Workers’ Union (Verdi).
Verdi’s negotiators walked away from the table after the insurance companies, represented by the German Insurance Employers’ Association (AGV), presented a proposal that was deemed insufficient. The union had demanded a 12 percent salary increase for a period of 12 months, as well as a 250 euro increase in training compensation. In contrast, the insurance companies offered a 4.8 percent salary increase in August 2025, followed by a further 3.3 percent increase in September 2026, over a period of 28 months.
“The inflation losses of the past years are almost completely ignored by this proposal” said Verdi’s chief negotiator, Martina Grundler. She added that the real incomes of employees would even be lower than in 2020, under the proposed deal. “It cannot be that a thriving industry barely involves its employees in its success” Grundler emphasized.
Over the past few days, around 7,000 employees have participated in strikes across the country, with over 700 taking part in a demonstration outside the negotiating venue in Düsseldorf on the first day of talks. The union has vowed to increase the pressure on the employers and call for further strikes, as the dispute continues.