Following intense warning strikes and a third round of negotiations, IG Metall Bavaria reached a collective bargaining agreement in the writing and drawing instruments industry (SZI) on Thursday evening. Employees will receive a total pay increase of 4.5 percent in two stages. Wages and salaries will rise by 2.0 percent as of January 1, 2025, and by an additional 2.5 percent as of January 1, 2026.
As early as December 2024, employees will receive an inflation adjustment bonus of 1,000 euros net. Apprentices will receive a significantly higher-than-average increase: Depending on their year of training, their compensation will rise by up to 10 percent as of January 1, 2025. The inflation adjustment bonus for apprentices is 300 euros. The collective bargaining agreement runs for 24 months.
“It was only through our intensive warning strikes that we got the employers to budge,” said IG Metall negotiator Michael Pfeiffer. “Without this pressure from the employees, the collective bargaining agreement would not have been possible. With the inflation adjustment bonus, we are providing particular support to the lower pay grades. Thanks to the early payment dates, people are now quickly receiving more money, which they urgently need to cover their rising cost of living. The significant increase in pay for apprentices will help make the industry more attractive to the next generation of skilled workers.”
Over 3,200 Employees in a Warning Strike
Over 3,200 warning strikers at all five plants in the collective bargaining association have sent a clear message in recent weeks demanding higher wages. In three waves of warning strikes, the employees struck at the operations of the employers’ chief negotiator, Schwan-STABILO in Heroldsberg, as well as at Faber-Castell in Stein, Schwan-STABILO in Weißenburg, Faber-Castell in Geroldsgrün, and Lyra in Nuremberg.
Approximately 3,500 employees work in the writing and drawing instruments industry in Franconia. These include Faber-Castell in Stein and Geroldsgrün, Schwan-Stabilo in Weißenburg and Heroldsberg, and Lyra-Bleistifte in Nuremberg.
Flyer, background information, photos, and videos are available from IG Metall Bavaria.
