Value of word is finally fixed

After six years of negotiations, the two main unions representing journalists in Germany, the DJV and the dju (part of the services union Verdi) have agreed rates for freelance contributors to newspapers.

The rates apply to those whose main job is as journalists and are based on a combination of the length of the article, its type and the newspaper’s circulation. At the bottom of the scale are news stories for newspapers with a circulation below 10,000, where the payment is €0.47 to €0.51 a line (37 characters or about six words) for first use and €0.38 to €0.42 for second use.

The highest rates go to those writing comment pieces, editorials or specialist articles who get €1.51 to €1.65 a line for first use, if their work is published in a newspaper with a circulation of over 200,000.

Both unions have welcomed the deal as providing legally binding minimum rates, even if, as Verdi’s main negotiator Wolfgang Schimmel said, they are not “breathtaking”.

However, there has less progress in negotiations on working conditions for magazine journalists. The magazine publishers association is looking to reduce the amount employers contribute to the industry pension fund as well as increase weekly working time from 36 to 40 hours a week. The talks for the 9,000 working in the industry ended in failure on 21 January and the next round is scheduled for April.

The euro was worth 87p on 21 January 2010.