Wage regulations

Individual questions can be answered via the mediafon. The Mediafon is the ver.di / FilmUnion's advisory network for the self-employed. Mediafon Nord offers individual advice from experts who work as filmmakers themselves and who work with a competent and qualified level of knowledge.

In terms of:

• Work on sundays and public holidays
• Calculation of the surcharges for overtime and night work
• Travel time payment
• Calculation of working days started
• Remuneration for overtime
• Claims for short-term cancellation in regards of working days requiring daily wages
• Vacation wages

Please check directly TV-FFS collective agreement (in German only) or contact us. 

The statutory minimum wage amounts since January 1, 2025 has been EUR 12.82 is gross per hour. The statutory minimum wage also applies to the film industry if no higher wages of a collective agreements are applied.

Questions and answers on minimum wages (Source: Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs)

The statutory minimum wage applies to: 

• All employees, regardless of working time or extent of employment, over 18 years of age
• Foreign employees working in Germany - regardless of whether they are employed by a domestic or foreign employer. (Territorial principle)
• For cross-border activities for employees employed in Germany

The statutory minimum wage does NOT apply to:

• Apprentices according to the Vocational Training Act
• Volunteers
• People taking a voluntary service serve
• Participants in a job promotion measure
• Homeworkers according to the homework act
• Self-employees
• Young people under the age of 18 without completed vocational training
• Long-term unemployed persons within the first six months after re-entering the labor market 

(See also the information from the German Trade Union Confederation: www.dgb.de )

Generally, in regards of surcharge the law ArbeitszeitG states: 

There is no surcharge for overtime and work on sunday but for work at nighttime (between 11 pm and 6 am, §2 ArbeitszeitG). A minimum surcharge of 25% per hour must be paid or a corresponding time off must be granted.

Provisions are still possible provided that they relate to the part of the wage entitlement that exceeds the minimum wage.