Extra day's leave

The latest agreement signed by the German chemical and energy workers’ union, IGBCE, provides an extra day’s leave for union members, the first time a national level agreement has included such a clause.

The deal, covering 585,000 employees, also provides for a staged increase of 6.85% over 20 months and, with inflation currently at 2.2% (June), is likely to provide a real terms increase over the lifetime of the deal.

The extra day for union members takes effect in 2025 and applies to those who have been in the IGBCE for longer than three months.