Frankfurt am Main – There remains a high level of willingness to participate in warning strikes in the metal and electrical industries: In the first two weeks following the end of the peace obligation, approximately 410,000 workers nationwide heeded IG Metall’s call to temporarily walk off the job. Well over 1,500 workplace actions took place as part of the warning strikes. “The high turnout clearly shows that employees strongly support the demands,” said Jörg Hofmann, President of IG Metall, on Friday in Frankfurt. “The enormous turnout also shows that IG Metall is capable of taking action—even under COVID-19 conditions. It’s time for employers to take this signal seriously and finally make substantial offers.”
So far, no solution is in sight at the negotiating table. Today, Friday, the fourth round of negotiations in the Mitte district ended without a result, just as the negotiations in the Baden-Württemberg district did on Tuesday.
Through these warning strikes, workers in the metal and electrical industries aim to underscore their demands and pressure employers into making a fair offer. To that end, some 61,200 workers from more than 250 companies went on strike today alone. The focus today was on the Baden-Württemberg district, where 29,150 workers from 156 companies participated. In the first week of March, around 250,000 workers took part in the warning strikes. As of 2 p.m. today, another 160,000 have joined them this week. Further warning strikes will follow today during the late and night shifts. Warning strikes and actions are also planned nationwide for next week.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, IG Metall is unable to mobilize its members as usual during this round of collective bargaining and must instead resort to new forms of action. For example, rallies took place at drive-in theaters, in the form of motorcades, or as socially distanced human chains. In Baden-Württemberg, IG Metall held its first digital warning strike today: Thousands of workers tuned in to the live stream this morning to show their support for IG Metall’s demands in the collective bargaining round. In addition to explanations of the demands, updates on the status of the negotiations, and reports on the mood and actions from many different workplaces, there was also a cooking segment featuring district director and chief negotiator Roman Zitzelsberger.
IG Metall aims to achieve three goals for the more than 3.8 million workers in the metal and electrical industries during this round of collective bargaining: securing jobs, shaping the future, and stabilizing incomes. Specifically, IG Metall is calling for a 4 percent increase, which, depending on the situation at each company, can be used to boost wages and apprenticeship stipends or to finance measures to secure employment. Through “future collective bargaining agreements,” the union aims to find tailored company-specific solutions that include commitments to investment, locations, employment, and training.
The next round of negotiations will take place on Monday, March 15, at 11 a.m. in Düsseldorf. This will be the fifth round of negotiations in the North Rhine-Westphalia district.
Further information and press photos of Jörg Hofmann
Further information on the collective bargaining round
