IG Metall: Metall-Tarifgespräche in NRW und BW enden ohne Fortschritt

The first round of talks between IG Metall and employers in the metal and electrical industries in North Rhine-Westphalia has concluded without significant progress, according to the union's spokesman in the region, Knut Giesler. Giesler stated that the employers did not present an offer during the negotiations, which he found disappointing.

He reiterated the union's demand for a five percent increase in wages. The first round in Baden-Württemberg also ended without an employer's offer, but there was a greater sense of agreement regarding the challenging economic situation. The employers in North Rhine-Westphalia dismissed the union's demands as "simply unrealistic," citing severe structural challenges in the industry.

The industry is currently facing its most significant structural crisis in decades, with companies under extreme financial pressure due to high labor costs. Giesler described the situation as "moderate" in North Rhine-Westphalia, emphasizing the need for job security and location stability for "boom companies" like those in the defense industry.

In crisis companies, the union would examine whether existing measures for employment security and future investments are sufficient. In southwestern Germany, the situation is particularly challenging due to the strong presence of the auto industry. Both sides acknowledged that this was not a normal negotiation round but rather one occurring during a crisis, with the focus on safeguarding jobs.

The IG Metall regional president, Barbara Resch, along with her counterpart from Südwestmetal, Peter Krause, stressed the urgency of taking further steps to protect the industrial location in Baden-Württemberg. Both parties presented surprisingly similar descriptions of the industrial sector's 914,000 employees, stating they were in a crisis situation and needed to find solutions by November.

However, their views differed significantly. Krause demanded lower labor costs to save the location, calling the five percent wage demand "excessive." Resch argued that wage cuts would not resolve structural problems and urged employers to stop disparaging their location and workers. The negotiations in other tariff regions for the 3.7 million employees will follow in the coming days, with both North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg aiming to continue talks on October 27th.

The peace obligation ends with the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement on October 31st, after which warning strikes may be possible.