The union Verdi has called for a strike at several ARD broadcasters this Thursday. Verdi stated that the impetus for the strike is the expiration of collective agreements regarding salaries and fees at the “Norddeutscher Rundfunk” (NDR), “Westdeutscher Rundfunk” (WDR), and “Bayerischer Rundfunk” (BR), which lapsed in January 2026. The union noted that negotiations related to these agreements have so far remained unsuccessful.
Verdi is demanding an increase of seven percent on collective salaries and fees, with a minimum raise of €300. Furthermore, they are calling for apprentices to receive a minimum of €200 per month.
According to Christoph Schmitz-Dethlefsen, who is in charge of media affairs at the Verdi national leadership, the employers are “putting the brakes on the wage negotiations, thus fueling the escalation of the wage dispute”. He provided the upcoming negotiation dates: May 19th at NDR, May 22nd at BR, and June 9th at WDR.