First warning strikes after the end of the peace obligation

Trade unions - First warning strikes after the end of the peace obligation

The first warning strikes took place on Friday after the end of the peace obligation in the wage dispute in the north-west German steel industry. According to IG Metall, 1655 employees from 15 companies took part in actions and warning strikes in Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bremen.

In Salzgitter in Lower Saxony, around 400 workers on the night shift took part in a two-hour action from midnight. In Finnentrop (North Rhine-Westphalia), around 40 employees walked off the job at the same time. In Hagen, 60 union members came together on Friday morning. Warning strikes also took place in Bottrop, Gelsenkirchen, Georgsmarienhütte and Krefeld.

Trade unionists in Duisburg had already heralded the end of the peace obligation on Thursday evening with a torchlight march and a hand bell. According to IG Metall, around 250 people took part. The march ended at a large sculpture on a landfill site.

Among other things, IG Metall is demanding a wage increase of 8.5 percent for employees in the north-west German iron and steel industry over a twelve-month period as well as a 32-hour week with full wage compensation. In the first round, the employers had offered an increase of 3.1 percent for 15 months. They rejected the demand for a reduction in working hours as "neither organizable nor financially viable". The second round also failed to bring about a rapprochement.

A third round is planned for December 11. There are to be further warning strikes until then: IG Metall has announced a warning strike in Duisburg on Monday.

Around 68,000 people are employed in the steel and iron industry in North Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen and Lower Saxony.

IG Metall demands employers' response

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1. Despite the employers' rejection, IG Metall continues to push for a 32-hour week with full wage compensation in the North Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen, and Lower Saxony steel industry.
2. The 'Duty of Peace' period in the wage dispute between IG Metall and employers in the steel industry ended, leading to the first warning strikes in Bottrop, Gelsenkirchen, Georgsmarienhütte, and Krefeld.
3. In the heart of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hagen saw 60 union members gather for a warning strike on Friday morning, adding to the ongoing wage dispute tension.
4. The employer in Salzgitter, Lower Saxony, faced a two-hour action from around 400 night-shift workers, joining the growing wave of warning strikes across the region.
5. The Bremen metalworkers also participated in a warning strike, with the workers' solidarity extending beyond the North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony borders.
6. With over 68,000 employees in the steel and iron industry, the warning strikes across the North Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen, and Lower Saxony region have significant implications for both employers and employees.
7. In the face of the growing number of warning strikes and the ongoing wage dispute, the employers in the steel industry have been consistently reluctant to drop their tariff proposals and provide a satisfying wage increase.
8. The escalation of the wage dispute in the steel industry, with IG Metall pushing for more favorable terms in the Duisburg negotiations, highlights the complex interplay between trade unions, employers, and the broader North Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen, and Lower Saxony economy.

Source: www.stern.de