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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Source: www.stern.de
