Frankfurt am Main – The IG Metall executive board today approved its recommended demands for the upcoming collective bargaining round in the metal and electrical industries, which employ 3.9 million workers. It recommends that IG Metall’s regional bargaining committees discuss and approve a 6 percent increase in wages and apprenticeship stipends for a 12-month period. It also proposes demanding an individual right to reduce weekly working hours to up to 28 hours for a period of up to 24 months.
“In addition to significant income improvements in light of an excellent economic situation, we want to address the future-oriented issue of working hours through collective bargaining. The flexibilization of working hours in companies must not continue to be at the sole expense of employees; it must also benefit them. Employees want self-determined working hours that fit their lives, and we want to secure their right to this,” said Jörg Hofmann, President of IG Metall, on Tuesday in Frankfurt.
Modern and attractive options for shaping one’s own work schedule are particularly important for securing a skilled workforce. “How working hours are structured within a company must not be guided solely by market demands; the needs of employees must be just as decisive. This requires rights enshrined in collective bargaining agreements,” Hofmann emphasized.
IG Metall justifies its recommended demand for a 6 percent wage increase by pointing to the industry’s strong economic performance. Profits are high, and all forecasts continue to point to growth, Hofmann emphasized. IG Metall bases its calculations on the European Central Bank’s (ECB) medium-term target inflation rate of 2 percent and an expected medium-term trend increase in overall economic productivity of up to 1.5 percent. Furthermore, employees must receive a fair share of the industry’s outstanding economic performance, Hofmann said.
The IG Metall Executive Board’s recommended demand regarding working hours stipulates that employees should be able to reduce their regular working hours to up to 28 hours per week for two years without having to provide a reason. After that, they would have the right to return to their original working hours, Hofmann explained. This should apply to all collective bargaining areas in western and eastern Germany.
In addition, it is recommended to demand a wage supplement for employees who reduce their working hours to care for children under the age of 14 in their household or to care for family members. They should receive a fixed supplement if they reduce their weekly working hours by at least 3.5 hours or more.
According to the recommendation of the IG Metall executive board, employees working shifts or under other working time arrangements that are harmful to their health who exercise their option to reduce their working hours by at least five days per year should also receive a wage supplement.
“Our goal is to ensure that even workers with lower incomes can afford to work fewer hours. Health and the ability to balance family and work must not depend on one’s financial situation,” said the IG Metall chairman.
In addition to its recommended demands regarding pay and working hours, the IG Metall Executive Board proposes the following additional goals for negotiations in the collective bargaining areas:
If employees exercise their option to reduce their working hours, this must not lead to increased pressure on other employees to perform. Therefore, it is recommended to discuss staffing adjustments with employers as well. In addition, the goal is to ensure that apprentices and dual-track students receive one day off per exam to prepare—with full pay.
For the collective bargaining areas in the eastern German states, IG Metall aims to secure a binding commitment to negotiate a process for harmonizing wages, working hours, and working conditions. “Twenty-seven years after reunification, employees here still work three hours longer per week and earn significantly less on average than in the west. We must also overcome this division in our country. This is long overdue,” Hofmann emphasized.
The regional bargaining committees will discuss and decide on October 24, 2017, on the termination of the wage and framework collective bargaining agreements and the details of the demands. On October 26, the IG Metall Executive Board will review the decisions of the bargaining committees and finalize the demands. Negotiations will begin on November 15 in the respective bargaining regions. The collective bargaining agreements and the no-strike clause expire on December 31, 2017.
