Press Release No. 14/2015 25,000 metalworkers on warning strikes again

Frankfurt am Main – The IG Metall union has continued its warning strikes in the collective bargaining dispute in the metal and electrical industries. By Thursday afternoon (2:00 p.m.), nearly 25,000 workers from over 70 companies had underscored their demands for a 5.5 percent pay increase, as well as provisions for age-based and educational part-time work, through walkouts, rallies, and early-closing actions. Further actions are planned for the afternoon and evening. Since the start of the warning strikes and the preceding actions, over 560,000 workers from around 2,500 companies nationwide have demonstrated in support of their demands, IG Metall announced Thursday in Frankfurt.

The focus of the warning strike actions was in the IG Metall “Küste” district. There, approximately 16,000 workers from 40 companies walked off the job. Ahead of the third round of collective bargaining negotiations, 5,000 metalworkers walked off the job for the entire day and marched to the central rally at Spielbudenplatz in Hamburg.

In the IG Metall Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony district, approximately 2,400 metalworkers from seven companies took part in warning strikes. In Berlin that morning, 600 employees of Alstom Power GmbH and Stadler Pankow heeded IG Metall’s call. In Brandenburg, 400 employees of ZF Friedrichhafen AG walked off the job. In Saxony, a total of 900 employees demonstrated at Bombardier Transportation in Görlitz and Bautzen to support their demands.

In Bavaria, nearly 1,800 workers from eight plants participated in brief work stoppages. In Augsburg, 500 employees of Renk AG went on strike. In Garching, 290 employees at MWS GmbH and Voith GmbH took part in work stoppages. There were also warning strikes in Memmingen, Elchingen, Munich, Gauting, and Peißenberg.

In Baden-Württemberg, over 1,600 workers from twelve plants took part in warning strikes. The main focus was in Aalen, with 900 workers participating in the warning strike.

In the IG Metall district of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, nearly 550 employees from four plants heeded IG Metall’s call. In Salzgitter, 300 employees from SMAG, Meyer, and Funkwerk gathered for a rally. In Aerzen near Hamelin, 250 employees of Aerzener Maschinenfabrik heeded IG Metall’s call.

In the IG Metall Central District, around 300 workers from three companies heeded IG Metall’s call.