PRESS RELEASE NO. 02/2019 IG Metall calls for a fair offer following warning strikes in the textile and apparel industry

Frankfurt am Main ― According to IG Metall, more than 8,400 workers from over 90 companies have participated in warning strikes in the West German textile and apparel industry since the end of the peace obligation (January 31, 2019). Ahead of the third round of collective bargaining on Tuesday, February 12, 2019, the union is calling on employers to make a reasonable offer. “It is up to the employers whether the conflict escalates further or whether we can reach a collective bargaining agreement next week. The warning strikes of the past few days have clearly shown that the workers are serious. They will not be fobbed off with a meager offer,” said IG Metall’s chief negotiator, Manfred Menningen, on Friday in Frankfurt.

IG Metall is demanding a 5.5 percent increase in wages and apprenticeship wages for workers in the West German textile and apparel industry, as well as improvements to the partial retirement program. In addition to a reasonable wage increase, workers should be given the option to take additional days off instead of receiving pay raises. Employers have so far offered a 3.4 percent pay increase over a 28-month period. They have thus far rejected improvements to the partial retirement program as well as greater autonomy over working hours for employees.

“If employers do not budge, we will increase the pressure on companies with further warning strikes,” Menningen announced. “Workers in the textile sector do not want to be left behind by general wage trends.” The third round of collective bargaining for the approximately 100,000 workers in the West German textile industry will take place on February 12 in Bielefeld.

Note to editors:

The third round of collective bargaining begins on Tuesday, February 12, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. at the Légère Hotel, Neumarkt 2, in Bielefeld. As early as 11 a.m., workers from nearby textile factories will gather in front of the IG Metall office in Bielefeld, located at Marktstraße 8, for a demonstration. At the concluding rally in front of the negotiation venue around noon, Manfred Menningen, IG Metall’s chief negotiator, will address the participants.