The powerful German union IG Metall called the vast metalworking and electrical industry sector, representing 3.8 million employees, to strike on Friday to back its demand for an 8% rise in wages in the face of ‘inflation’. ‘.
“Warning strikes” will be organized from “Saturday”, said five of the union’s seven regional branches, including the powerful North Rhine-Westphalia branch in the west of the country. These time-limited and coordinated strikes often accompany wage negotiations in Germany. The duration of the move has not yet been communicated, but further negotiations are scheduled for November 10.
For several weeks, representatives of employers and employees in the industry have been negotiating salaries, which have failed, according to IG Metall. The union calls for an increase of 8%, rejected by companies in this strategic sector, which includes 26,000 automotive, electronics and machine tool companies. The workers’ representatives justify their claim by the “sharp rise in prices” at a time when inflation exceeds 10% in the largest European economy.
single cousin
Company representatives are offering a single premium of 3,000 euros, which would be valid for 30 months. “The 3,000 euros may help people, but with the current price developments they are rapidly disappearing,” said Knut Giesler, a dealmaker at IG Metall NRW, the union’s largest branch. “Therefore, we must rapidly increase wages in a sustainable and effective way,” he added, quoted in a press release.
The employers’ organization Gesamtmetall believes the union has been “turned on by the reality of the industry” at worst due to the energy crisis, according to its president Stefan Wolf. In August, the manufacturing sector saw its production fall by 0.8% in one month, after stagnating in July.
Source: BFM TV
