Better with a Works Council

How Employees Have a Say

Warning strikes in the metal and electrical industries are underway, with more than 400,000 workers already participating. IG Metall is ramping up pressure on employers, who are offering only a 1.3 percent pay increase starting in July 2028. IG Metall has now presented a proposed solution that secures the future and protects jobs.

The long-term care insurance system is running out of money. The federal government wants to plug the gaps with an austerity bill. But that would mean new hardships for millions of people in need of care and their families. Yet there is a socially responsible alternative to mere benefit cuts.

Physical strain is a defining feature of the work of many industrial workers. This is shown by a new analysis. The figures also show that employees exposed to multiple sources of work-related strain are more likely to work even when they are sick. There is an urgent need for more preventive measures in the workplace.

The bargaining committees of the steel industry in northwestern and eastern Germany have finalized their demands. In addition to a pay increase, the focus is also on apprenticeship wages.

As an apprentice, are you allowed to participate in warning strikes and strikes? The answer is a definite yes! Here, we’ll explain what rights you have when collective bargaining enters its critical phase.

What should I do if my boss is bullying me? What was the biggest strike in history? On the podcast “Maloche und Malibu,” we discuss the big questions of the working world. The new episode is titled “A Stinging Slap in the Collective Bargaining Round—Now Comes the Response.”

Working conditions at Hark Recycling in Hamm kept getting worse and worse. When the boss started monitoring them with a drone, they’d had enough: They went to IG Metall and elected a works council. But the works council members were transferred as a punitive measure through underhanded tactics. They’re fighting back with the help of IG Metall.

Strengthen, Don’t Cut: A fair pension reform is possible, even if many claim the opposite. The new plan from the DGB unions shows how a change in pension policy can work—and how a decent standard of living in old age can be secured for everyone.

Collective bargaining agreement in the writing and drawing instruments industry: A one-time payment of 300 euros in December 2026; 150 euros for apprentices. A permanent increase of 75 euros per month starting in July 2027, with an additional 75 euros starting in July 2028; 50 euros more for apprentices in each case. Over 1,000 employees exerted pressure through warning strikes to secure these gains.

A labor dispute is looming at Volkswagen starting in January. VW management has terminated nearly all of the company’s collective bargaining agreements and is demanding even more money from employees. IG Metall is now calling for the terminations to be rescinded by the end of October—as well as for negotiations to begin promptly.

To increase pressure during collective bargaining negotiations, IG Metall is calling for warning strikes. The start date and duration are determined by the respective IG Metall district. But what are warning strikes—and what impact can they have? Should I worry about negative consequences if I participate? We answer the most important questions.

Collective bargaining negotiations for the metal and electrical industries in 2026 are underway. In addition to higher wages, the talks also focus on job security: Do we need to expand our collective bargaining agreements to address this? Or do we already have sufficient provisions in place to safeguard employment? Here’s what IG Metall has already established in this regard.