PRESS RELEASE NO. 07/2020 IG Metall: Collective bargaining for Textile Services ends without a result

Frankfurt am Main – Collective bargaining negotiations for the textile services sector ended after eleven hours without a resolution. In the second round of negotiations, no agreement was reached either on a wage increase or on the 37-hour workweek in both western and eastern Germany, as demanded by IG Metall. “Employers want employees to foot the bill for the reduction in working hours,” criticized Miriam Bürger, IG Metall’s chief negotiator, on Friday in Frankfurt. “They have offered nothing more than a meager wage increase that falls below the rate of inflation. For employees, this would mean a real loss of money and, consequently, purchasing power.”

IG Metall is demanding a significant wage increase of five percent, or at least an additional 100 euros per month. “Our colleagues earn a modest hourly wage compared to other industries. This also affects their pensions: as a result, a large proportion of employees will have to get by on very little money in their old age. This poses a risk of poverty in old age,” Bürger noted. In addition to the pay increase and a reduction in working hours, IG Metall is also calling for the continuation and improvement of the partial retirement program so that particularly overworked and older employees can afford to retire earlier. The average age in the industry is nearly 49, which is higher than in other sectors.