Amid Closures and Insolvencies, German Print Workers Demand 7% Wage Increase
Published on 07/05/2026 at 12:32 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
Germany’s printing industry is heading into a tense bargaining round. The ver.di union has formally tabled its demand: a seven percent pay rise for around 99,000 employees. The first negotiation session is scheduled for July 6 in Berlin.
The current wage agreement is set to be terminated by July 31. Until August 31, a peace obligation remains in force, meaning strikes or other industrial action are off the table. ver.di insists workers need a substantial real-wage increase, pointing to the rising cost of living.
On the employer side, a new chief negotiator has emerged. Dr. Bertram Stausberg was elected president of the Federal Association for Printing and Media (BVDM) on June 30.
These talks unfold against a bleak backdrop for the sector. Several companies are grappling with deep structural shifts. Julius Schulte stopped paper production at its Bilk site at the end of June. Schleipen Paper filed for insolvency on June 30. Printer Walstead announced it will close its Gotha facility.
Yet not all news is negative. Dunapack Packaging took over German packaging plants from Stora Enso on July 1. Kimberly-Clark and Suzano launched a joint venture. Pulp producer Mercer plans to cut production at its Rosenthal mill in September. And Koehler Paper has raised prices for recycled papers.
The printing industry’s demand is part of a wider wave of wage disputes across Germany. Over recent days, retail and wholesale workers have staged nationwide warning strikes. Hundreds of employees walked out in Hamburg, Stuttgart, and Nuremberg, hitting stores of H&M, Ikea, Metro, and Kaufland. In that sector, ver.di is also calling for seven percent higher pay or fixed minimum increases.
Even more aggressive is the union’s bid for port workers in Hamburg and northern Germany, where it wants 8.2 percent more. The first round of those talks is set for July 22. Whether the printing industry can secure a quicker settlement will become clear in Berlin.
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