Customs duties - IG Metall Küste harbors lofty hopes for the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations.
The IG Metall Coast approaches the upcoming round of collective bargaining in the Metal and Electro industry with anticipation. Union members are seeking wage agreements that level out purchasing power, which has been negatively impacted by inflation. This is particularly crucial for trainees who have been hardest hit by increasing living costs. The union didn't disclose specific wage requests yet.
A survey conducted among more than 26,000 of the union's 178,000 members in Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Nordwestniedersachsen, and Schleswig-Holstein revealed that a majority of those polled, in addition to increased pay, also craved greater autonomy over their work schedule. 85% of those surveyed emphasized the significance of work schedule flexibility. Pension and retirement security were also deemed important issues.
The IG Metall Coast plans to broaden the scope of converting pay into free time in the realm of working hours. "Currently, this flexibility is only available to employees with children under eight years old, those taking care of relatives, and shift workers. We want to apply this model to voluntary and non-shift workers as well," said Friedrich.
The IG Metall board will suggest specific demands on June 17, and the local tariff commission will vote on them on June 21. The industry's peace obligation expires on October 28.
Bargaining talks with the Nordmetall employers are slated to commence in September.
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- Despite the upcoming collective bargaining round in the Metal and Electrical industry, Timmendorfer Strand, located in Schleswig-Holstein, is hoping for favorable tariff agreements for its metalworkers.
- The Metal industry in Bremen has also expressed interest in the collective bargaining negotiations, with concerns over inflation impacting purchasing power leading to lower wages.
- In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, union members are advocating for greater autonomy over work schedules, as revealed in a recent IG Metall survey, alongside increased pay and pension security.
- Daniel Friedrich, a member of the IG Metall board, suggested expanding flexible work hour arrangements to include voluntary and non-shift workers in the upcoming negotiations.
- The industry's peace obligation in Lower Saxony is set to expire on October 28, signaling the beginning of collective bargaining talks for the electrical and metal industry.
- Following the IG Metall board's proposal of specific demands on June 17, the local tariff commission in Metall will vote on them on June 21.
- Subsequently, bargaining talks with the Nordmetall employers in the Metal industry are scheduled to take place in September in various regions, including Timmendorfer Strand and Bremen.