Press Release No. 08/2016 IG Metall calls for a 5 percent wage increase for the metal and electrical industries – collective bargaining coverage...

Frankfurt am Main – IG Metall has called for a 5 percent increase in wages and apprenticeship stipends for a period of twelve months for the approximately 3.8 million workers in the metal and electrical industries. The union’s executive board made this decision on Monday in Frankfurt. “There is no reason for employers to paint a bleak picture of the economy: Profit levels are just as high as employment levels. Stable wage growth sustainably strengthens domestic demand and thus economic growth. And it ensures that workers receive a fair share of economic growth,” said Jörg Hofmann, President of IG Metall.

In addition to an appropriate wage increase, IG Metall intends to use the upcoming collective bargaining round to push for an increase in collective bargaining coverage. “Workers in companies not covered by collective bargaining agreements have the same right to wage increases. This is a matter of fairness. On average, they earn 24.6 percent less for comparable work. That is why we will increasingly involve workforces from companies not covered by collective bargaining agreements in these negotiations,” said Hofmann.

The collective bargaining agreements expire on March 31, 2016, and the peace obligation ends on the night of April 29, 2016. The first negotiations will take place on March 9 in Lower Saxony.