First warning strike in Hessigheim: Employees demand fair wages!

First warning strike in Hessigheim: Employees demand fair wages!

On December 1, 2025, the employees of Felsengartenkellerei Besigheim eG in Hessigheim went on a two-hour warning strike. The employees stopped work at 11:30 a.m. after negotiations over a collective wage increase in remuneration were unsuccessful. The winery's sales room remained closed from 10 a.m. in order to hold a company meeting. This marks the first warning strike in the history of the Felsengartenkellerei, organized by the Food-Enjoyment-Gaststätten union (NGG), Stuttgart region.

The NGG is demanding a flat rate increase of 200 euros for a term of 12 months. In the previous negotiations, the employers had not presented an acceptable offer: in two rounds of negotiations they only offered an increase of 0% and 0.5%. The last negotiation dates took place on July 8th and November 27th, 2025, although the employers did not submit a negotiable offer. As part of the collective bargaining dispute, the area collective agreement for winegrowers' cooperatives in Württemberg was also terminated in 2023.

Demands for 2026

In parallel to the current strikes, the NGG is also formulating its demands for the 2026 collective bargaining round. The union is demanding a wage increase of between four and six percent as well as a starting wage that should not be less than 14.70 euros per hour. Wages for trainees are to be increased by 80 euros per month per year of training. These demands affect around 2.6 million employees in the food industry, the hospitality industry and the bakery and butcher trade.

NGG deputy chairman Freddy Adjan explained that the skills shortage, exacerbated by the retirement of the boomer generation, represents a key challenge. Despite a decline in inflation, price levels remain high, which endangers economic stability and the attractiveness of many industries. Adjan also calls for a reintroduction of the wealth tax and a reform of the inheritance tax to finance better working and training conditions.

Looking at the industry

The Felsengartenkellerei is cited by the NGG as an example of the difficulties in the industry. The high time commitment and the long 40-hour working week contrast with the 38 hours in many other industries. If an acceptable result is not achieved, the employees have already announced possible further strikes in order to enforce their demands for fair pay.

In a broader context, further collective bargaining conflicts in Germany highlight the urgency and complexity of the current labor market situation. Various sectors, including the plumbing, heating and air conditioning trades and the wood and plastics industry, are also experiencing wage and labor law disputes, which point to the ongoing nationwide discussion about better pay and working conditions. In the current economic situation, the development in the Felsengartenkellerei is symptomatic of the challenges that many employees face.

The entire event illustrates how important it is for employees to stand up during this time to fight for fair working conditions and pay. The NGG is committed to this and has already taken the first steps with its action. These developments will certainly have to be monitored more closely in the coming weeks.

For further information on current collective bargaining and developments in the industry, see the reporting from NGG, n-tv as well as DGB.