CBA negotiations:

Retail employees now threatened with mini salary increase

Rainer Trefelik, chief negotiator for the Chamber of Commerce, steps into the ring with GPA trade unionist Mario Ferrari (right). At stake are the salaries of around 430,000 retail employees.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/MAX SLOVENCIK, Manhart Eva)

Now the 430,000 employees in the retail sector have been hit too! Following the mini-agreements in the metal industry and in the public sector, it is now clear that employees in stores, at the checkout and in the warehouse are also threatened with a pay rise from January 2026, which will barely compensate for the exploding prices. High inflation has caused all previous plans to collapse - the deal from a year ago is no longer valid!

In the fall of 2024, everything seemed so well arranged in a two-year agreement. Perfectly calculated. But the cold reality is catching up with the industry. Average inflation between October 2024 and September 2025 climbed to three percent, narrowly missing the critical mark of 2.9 percent. This limit was the prerequisite for an originally agreed salary increase of the same amount from 2026. But now everything is open! And what will follow? A fierce battle for every single percentage point, with every penny at stake.

"The economic situation in the industry is very difficult" 
In one corner of the ring: Rainer Trefelik, the Chamber of Commerce's polite but tough negotiator. His goal is clear: a salary agreement well below inflation and also well below the 2.9 percent that was actually agreed last year. His reasoning: "The parameters have changed." The once hoped-for economic recovery has failed to materialize! Instead of growth, there is stagnation, and customers' reluctance to spend is hitting retailers with full force: "In September, the number of unemployed people in the retail sector rose by around ten percent. The economic situation in the sector is very difficult."

His appeal: "We must finally put the brakes on this inflationary dynamic." After all, salaries have already risen by around 20 percent in the past three years. Retailers have to pass on these costs. But customers are then increasingly ordering from low-cost competitors on the internet. Trefelik: "The millions of Chinese parcels are hurting."

Trade union: even the last increases were below inflation
In the other corner of the ring sits GPA chief negotiator Mario Ferrari, the voice of the employees. The trade unionist does not want to put up with this impending extreme loss of real wages. His arguments: The wage increases in the retail sector have already been below inflation in each of the past two years. Employees have therefore already lost purchasing power. Many have to get by on already low incomes, often part-time. Ferrari: "90 percent of part-time employees in retail are women."

Prolonged struggle would be a disaster for everyone
The countdown is on! The first major negotiation date is set for November 6. If no agreement is reached on this day, the next dates on November 13 and 24 are already on the calendar. Both sides know this: A back-and-forth that drags on into the Christmas business, which is important for retailers, would be a disaster for everyone.