IG Metall: New strikes after failure of fourth round of collective bargaining in steel industry
"After both sides took steps towards a solution model on the issue of working hours in many areas, the attempt to reach an agreement then failed primarily on the issue of the pay increase," explained Knut Giesler, District Director of IG Metall NRW. The employers had offered a one-off payment of 1000 euros for January 2024 and a pay rise of 3.5 percent from July 2024 with a total term of 19 months.
"This offer is so far removed from a possible final result that we have decided to end the negotiations," explained Giesler. "From now on, the steel companies will be on strike for 24 hours."
IG Metall North Rhine-Westphalia is conducting collective bargaining for the steel and iron industry in the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen and Lower Saxony. According to the union, the collective agreements apply to around 68,000 employees.
The union had entered the negotiations with the demand for wage increases and a 32-hour week with full wage compensation, which the employers rejected as unrealizable. The first warning strikes in the north-west German steel industry took place at the beginning of December against the backdrop of faltering wage negotiations.
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- Due to the failure of the fourth round of collective bargaining, IG Metall in NRW announced strikes in the steel industry.
- Knut Giesler, the District Director of IG Metal in North Rhine-Westphalia, expressed disappointment over the failure of negotiations.
- The offer made by the employers, which included a one-off payment and a pay rise, was deemed too far removed from the union's expectations.
- The employers, in response to IG Metall's demand for wage increases and a 32-hour week, considered it unrealizable.
- IG Metall North Rhine-Westphalia is responsible for collective bargaining in the steel and iron industry in North Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen, and Lower Saxony.
- The 24-hour strike announced by IG Metall in North Rhine-Westphalia affects around 68,000 employees in the steel industry.
- The steel companies in North Rhine-Westphalia now face a 24-hour strike, with the pay rise and working hours being the primary issues.
- The failure of the collective bargaining round has led to additional strikes in the steel industry, as per the announcement by IG Metall.
- The employers had hoped to reach an agreement with IG Metall before the start of the strike, but their offer was not sufficient to please the union.
- The steel industry in North Rhine-Westphalia is now facing a significant disruption as a result of the 24-hour strike called by IG Metall, following the failure of the fourth round of collective bargaining.
Source: www.stern.de
