Bargaining begins for German metalworkers

Bargaining on pay increases for Germany’s largest collective agreement, the 3.7 million people employed in metalworking, has begun.

The union IG Metall is calling for a 5.5% pay increase, as well as a right to paid training and improvements for those taking early retirement. These demands, in particular those related to early retirement, are rejected by the employers. There is a strong possibility of warning strikes once the obligation on the unions not to strike runs out on 28 January.

It is not just in Germany that metalworking negotiations are starting. In the Netherlands too, negotiations on a new agreement for the metal and technical sector began on 21 January.