IG Metall Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt has reached a collective bargaining agreement with the Lower Saxony and Bremen State Metalworkers’ Association and the Lower Saxony Agricultural and Construction Technology Association. This agreement not only provides the 53,000 employees at approximately 2,500 companies with a 2.5 percent pay increase, but also offers them greater flexibility and control over their working hours.
The details of the agreement
In the last collective bargaining agreement for 2025 , a commitment to negotiate on the topic of WorkFlex was agreed upon. Employees at the companies demanded greater control over their time and the option to convert pay into more free time in order to better balance work and leisure.
Now, the new WorkFlex collective bargaining agreement is being introduced: As a result, the special payment (Christmas bonus) will permanently increase from 70 percent to 100 percent of average monthly income. This means that employees will receive two full months’ pay in November of each year. This is equivalent to a 2.5 percent increase in annual income.
With WorkFlex, this additional 30 percent of the special payment can be converted into a shorter workweek without reducing monthly income. Employees have various options available: from reducing their weekly hours by one hour for an entire calendar year, to a reduction of two hours for six months, four hours for a quarter, or a reduction of eleven weekly hours for a calendar month.
This gives employees maximum flexibility, depending on their personal priorities. “Whether it’s caring for family members, raising children, taking important personal time off, or simply having more time for their own hobbies: In the future, employees’ priorities will take center stage!” said Markus Wente, chief negotiator for IG Metall.
“The current collective bargaining agreement is a milestone and unique in the skilled trades sector. It shows that perseverance pays off in the end, because the negotiations were long and tough. Ultimately, the solidarity and determination of the employees to stand by their demands led to a successful outcome,” Wente continued.
The agreement is valid through August 31, 2027. The WorkFlex collective bargaining agreement—and with it, the increase in the special payment to 100 percent—is in effect indefinitely.
