Verdi reaches agreement with employers on pilot deal in Bavarian wholesale and foreign trade

Both sides now have until August 4 to formally confirm the result within the declaration period. Until then, the understanding is considered provisional, but politically effective.

Verdi sees the result as a success of the strike movement

Gürlebeck emphasized that the agreement would not have been possible without the pressure of the warning strikes and the nationwide mobilization. "Ohne den großen Mut und die Entschlossenheit der Streikenden wäre ein solch guter Tarifabschluss niemals möglich gewesen", he said. He also declared: "Tarifabschlüsse auf der Straße und in den Betrieben und nicht am Verhandlungstisch entschieden und erkämpft werden".

From Verdi's perspective, this is the first nationwide collective bargaining agreement in the retail sector to be reached in Bavaria. Gürlebeck pointed out that this was also thanks to the strikers in other federal states: "Dass im Groß- und Außenhandel in Bayern der erste bundesweite Handels-Tarifabschluss gelungen sei, sei auch den Streikenden in anderen Bundesländern zu verdanken".

Reaction from the employers' side

The union expects the agreement to have a signaling effect beyond Bavaria. The ongoing nationwide collective bargaining talks in wholesale and foreign trade affect a total of more than one million employees. "Ohne diese kraftvolle und breite bundesweite Bewegung wäre unser heutiges Ergebnis nicht möglich gewesen", said Gürlebeck.

No statement was initially available from the employers' side. The Bavarian Trade Association (Handelsverband Bayern), which represents the retail sector, commented indirectly through its representative Bernd Ohlmann. He pointed to the different cost structures of the industries: "Natürlich verfolgen wir das sehr genau, aber jede Branche hat eigenen Kostenstrukturen. Deshalb lassen sich die Ergebnisse aus dem Groß-und Außenhandel nicht eins zu eins auf den Einzelhandel in Bayern übertragen."

Significance beyond Bavaria

During the negotiations, there had been warning strikes to increase the pressure on the employers' side. With the pilot agreement now in place, the situation in Bavaria is likely to ease for the time being, while the collective bargaining rounds in other federal states and in the retail sector are still ongoing.

The pilot agreement is considered an indicator of which wage increases are realistic in the current nationwide collective bargaining round in the retail sector as a whole. Observers assess the result as moderate but balanced, as it offers employees a tangible increase while also providing companies with planning security over two years, given the economic situation.