Kommentar: Zuschläge nur in Boom-Branchen? Eine gute Idee

Unionists from the IG Metall are proposing a significant amount of differentiation for wage negotiations in the autumn. The focus would be on workers employed by manufacturers of weapons, aircraft, energy, and medical technology, who earn exceptionally high salaries. This move could put considerable pressure on the negotiations for the approximately four million employees of the largest industry branch, which is expected to be one of the most challenging in history.

The universal agreement might achieve a lower outcome through this step, primarily protecting car manufacturers and their suppliers. Alternatively, a stronger downward differentiation could be considered, granting more reductions to problematic companies. "More differentiation is necessary" – IG Metall representatives undoubtedly propose this voluntarily – but in the automotive industry, the financial cushions in wages are so generous that their employees would still belong to the privileged few even with concessions.

However, differentiation is risky for unions: the less the principle "Together we are stronger" applies, as some end up benefiting more than others, the weaker the negotiating power of the still largest trade union in the Western world becomes. In the medium term, this differentiation strategy could lead to a fragmentation of the collective bargaining agreement.