PRESS RELEASE Collective bargaining agreement reached: Temporary workers to receive a 2,300-euro inflation adjustment bonus

Frankfurt am Main – Collective bargaining agreement reached for temporary agency workers: At the last minute on Friday, IG Metall and the temporary agency employers’ associations agreed on the payment of an inflation adjustment bonus. Under the agreement, temporary agency workers in the metal and electrical industries will receive a total of 2,300 euros, tax- and contribution-free. Improvements to industry-specific surcharges were also agreed upon.

“Our colleagues in temporary work will soon have significantly more money in their wallets. They’ve earned it—and given the rise in prices, it’s also urgently needed,” says Juan-Carlos Rio Antas, chief negotiator for IG Metall. “In recent weeks, thousands of temporary agency workers have taken to the streets to demand this. At the same time, colleagues at the client companies have advocated strongly with employers in the metal and electrical industries on behalf of the temporary agency workers. The combined pressure from permanent staff and temporary agency workers made this outcome possible.”

The inflation adjustment bonus amounts to up to 2,300 euros and will be paid out in monthly installments starting in January 2024: 300 euros in January 2024, and 200 euros each from February through November 2024. The money will be paid to anyone who has been employed by their temporary staffing agency for at least five months and has been assigned to a company in the metal and electrical industry for at least one month.

There is also a change regarding the industry-specific bonuses applicable to assignments in the metal and electrical industry: Starting September 1, 2023, the first tier (a 15 percent increase on the base pay) will apply from the very first day of the assignment. Previously, this bonus was not granted until after six weeks.

After IG Metall secured an inflation adjustment bonus for permanent employees in the metal and electrical industry at the end of 2022, it demanded that the same payment be extended to temporary workers in the sector. However, negotiations proved difficult and dragged on for over half a year. It was only after the executive board declared the collective bargaining negotiations a failure earlier this week that progress was made. The new collective bargaining agreement is valid through the end of 2024.