3.7 million employees: Inflation and car crisis: Metal wage negotiations to become complicated
A difficult round of collective bargaining is beginning in Germany's metal and electrical engineering industry. While hundreds of thousands of industrial jobs are disappearing, IG Metall has to secure real wages and jobs.
IG Metall and employer representatives are set to begin regional negotiations over pay and conditions in Germany's metal and electrical industries, affecting around 3.7 million employees. The union is seeking a 5% pay increase over 12 months, citing the need to offset rising inflation and protect jobs and sites amid international economic uncertainty.
Employers, represented by Gesamtmetall, argue that there is no room for pay increases and instead want to focus on cutting costs to save the industry, with some companies such as Mercedes-Benz calling for a return to 40-hour workweeks without extra pay. The negotiations, starting on October 7 in regional rounds, may lead to strikes if an agreement is not reached, with IG Metall warning of potential action as current contracts expire on October 31.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
