BFFS, GDBA, unisono and VdO call for a work stoppage!

Press Release

Nationwide joint industrial action of the four artists’ unions at theaters and concert halls!

Berlin/Hamburg/Cologne, June 18, 2025 – The trade unions BFFS, GDBA, unisono and VdO call on all artists employed at theaters and concert halls under the NV Bühne and TVK collective agreements to temporarily stop work for 30 minutes today at 11:30 a.m.

With this industrial action, the four artists' unions intend to emphasize their demand for the adoption of the current TVöD agreement for artistic and artistic-technical stage employees. Ahead of the next round of negotiations, which will take place on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, the unions see the need to increase pressure on the employers. The German Stage Association refused to adopt the TVöD agreement in its entirety at the most recent negotiation meeting. The unions do not yet consider their demands to have been met:

Increase in basic salaries and activity allowances (TVK)
- by 3% (at least 110 euros) as of April 1, 2025
- by a further 2.8% on 1 May 2026
Increase in the allowance (13th salary or summer/Christmas bonus) to 85%
One individual day off per year
Transfer of the shift allowance increase of 60 euros to the basic salary

"Never before has a public sector pay agreement contained so many material components as this time, which must also benefit TVK and NV Bühne employees. We are not in favor of a light public sector. Therefore, we demand the full adoption of the TVöD agreement," says unisono Managing Director Robin von Olshausen.

“This year’s negotiations are groundbreaking in this respect and will also send a signal for future adjustment negotiations at the TV-L locations,” said Gerrit Wedel, Managing Director of VdO.

"The scheduling of this short-term and short-term strike action is necessary in light of the German Theater Association's refusal to cooperate in order to increase the pressure on employers and the German Theater Association to respond to our union demands," explains Lisa Jopt, Executive President of the GDBA.

"We expect the German Stage Association to pay NV Bühne and TVK employees equally fairly as employees under the TVöD. Artistic employees must not be treated as second-class employees," adds Heinrich Schafmeister, collective bargaining representative of the BFFS.

You can find the press release as a PDF here.