Already during the agreement on the TV FFS, it was announced that there would also be a new collective agreement for occupational pensions for film and television professionals (see our blog post on this). This will come into force on July 1, 2025. The agreement was reached by the Produzentenallianz, ver.di, and BFFS. The new regulations are intended to ensure industry-wide secured retirement provisions. The implementation of the occupational pension scheme is carried out through the Pensionskasse Rundfunk VVaG.
Salary Conversion Model
The parties to the collective agreement have included a salary conversion system in the new occupational pension agreement. This means that employers are obliged to provide pension benefits if the respective employee opts for salary conversion and acquires or maintains membership in the Pensionskasse Rundfunk.
In practice, this means: the employer must offer film and television professionals participation in salary conversion from the beginning of their employment. The collective agreement provides a sample regulation for this. If the professional agrees to the salary conversion, the employer withholds 4% of the salary and instead contributes it to the Pensionskasse Rundfunk VVaG. The employer must then also pay the institutional contribution amounting to another 4% of the salary. However, if the employer does not receive a partial or full reimbursement, the salary is only taken into account up to the monthly contribution assessment ceiling in the general pension insurance scheme (currently €8,050.00 per month for the year 2025).
Collective Agreement on Occupational Pensions as a Milestone
The collective bargaining parties are celebrating the conclusion as a milestone in securing the future of film professionals. This keeps the industry attractive and sustainable. The social security of film professionals is being significantly advanced. Old-age poverty can thus be effectively combated. Occupational pension provision is being promoted even if public broadcasters, where the so-called “Limburg Solution” already applied, are not involved. The Pensionskasse Rundfunk VVaG is intended to be a significant partner of the collective bargaining parties and ensure a low-bureaucracy implementation. Therefore, the collective agreement refers to the statutes and general insurance conditions of the Pensionskasse Rundfunk VVaG for details on pension benefits. The sample clause should also ensure the uncomplicated establishment of salary conversion.
Scope of Application
The collective agreement on occupational pensions refers to the scope of the TV FFS. Companies or independent departments that primarily produce entertainment, advertising, or documentary film projects are explicitly excluded. In addition, permanently employed persons as per item 1.5 of the TV FFS are not covered by the regulation. As usual, the collective agreement only applies to union-bound members or when the agreement is included in the employment contract. However, the collective bargaining parties are planning a joint procedure to declare the collective agreement generally binding. This could ensure that the occupational pension agreement applies across the industry, regardless of any memberships in the bargaining parties.
