Massive warning strike in Baden-Württemberg: 1,400 insured people demand more!

Massive warning strike in Baden-Württemberg: 1,400 insured people demand more!

Today, around 1,400 employees of private insurance companies in Baden-Württemberg are taking part in nationwide work stoppages. This represents the largest all-day warning strike in the region to date and comes ahead of the fourth round of negotiations on July 4th. The protests are being supported by rallies in Karlsruhe and Stuttgart, where employees want to make their demands clear. Frank Hawel, a representative of ver.di Baden-Württemberg, criticized the fact that employees are struggling with real wage losses while insurance companies have made profits from years of crisis.

In Stuttgart, employees of companies such as Allianz, Generali, WGV, SparkassenVersicherung, Driving Instructor Insurance and Württembergische Versicherung joined the strike. Allianz, Württembergische Versicherung as well as Generali and strikers from ERGO Versicherung and INTER Krankenversicherung from Mannheim are also active in Karlsruhe. The ver.di union is demanding a salary increase of twelve percent over a period of twelve months as well as an increase in training remuneration by 250 euros per month.

Status of negotiations and upcoming actions

The employers have so far presented a tariff offer that includes an increase of 4.8 percent from August 2025 and a further 3.3 percent from September 2026 for a term of 28 months. However, ver.di describes these offers as inadequate and a lack of appreciation for the employees. As early as June 6, 2025, employees of the HUK-Coburg insurance company in Coburg, Nuremberg and Fürth were called to strike. Before the third round of negotiations, over 7,000 employees were on the streets nationwide.

In addition, a group of around 700 striking colleagues accompanied the start of the third round of negotiations in Düsseldorf. Martina Grundler from ver.di announced that further nationwide strikes would follow if there was no negotiable offer. The second round of collective bargaining was disappointing from the union's perspective, as the employers only offered a salary increase of 3.6 percent in the first year.

Demands and future steps

Ver.di makes comprehensive demands that go beyond salary adjustments. This includes:

• Eine Erhöhung der Gehälter und Zulagen um jeweils 12 Prozent bei einer Laufzeit von 12 Monaten.
• Eine Erhöhung der Ausbildungsvergütung um 250 Euro monatlich.
• Eine Tarifvereinbarung zur unbefristeten Übernahme der Auszubildenden.
• Die Möglichkeit, Gehaltsbestandteile flexibel in Freizeit umzuwandeln.
• Die Beibehaltung der tariflichen Regelungen zur Altersteilzeit.

In addition, ver.di is planning negotiations on a new collective agreement for transformation with the employers' association for the private insurance industry (AGV). The aim of this new collective agreement is to protect the interests of employees with regard to digital transformation.

The situation in the industry remains tense, and the coming rounds of negotiations could be crucial for the future of employees and collective agreements in the private insurance sector. ver.di's demands are in clear contrast to employers' previous offers and illustrate the great pressure that is on the industry. Many employees are already aware that their wages are no longer enough to cover the cost of living, which underlines the urgency of the union's demands.

For further information about current developments in the collective bargaining dispute, please visit the website ver.di Heilbronn and ver.di news available.