Collective Bargaining Round for the Eastern Textile Industry Textile workers demand an 8.5 percent pay increase

In the East German textile industry, workers are preparing for tough collective bargaining negotiations and have now staked out their position: They are demanding an 8.5 percent pay increase over a twelve-month period. They are also calling for an increase in Christmas and vacation bonuses to 100 percent, a social component, the continuation of the partial-time retirement program, and higher pay for apprentices. Yesterday, the IG Metall executive board confirmed the collective bargaining committee’s demands. There are 8,000 workers in the industry. 

Here is the timeline for the collective bargaining round in the Eastern Textile Industry: Negotiations with employers will begin on May 8. They will be accompanied by actions by metalworkers from the plants to demonstrate to employers the seriousness of the demands. The peace obligation ends on June 1. After that, warning strikes are possible, says IG Metall negotiator Stefanie Haberkern.

Prior to the collective bargaining round, IG Metall surveyed the employees. The vast majority stated that they were very severely affected by price increases. They expect a pay increase reflected in the pay scale to compensate for the high price increases and an inflation adjustment as a sign of respect.

In the West German textile and apparel industry, different collective bargaining agreements with different terms are in effect. In the West, IG Metall had already secured higher wages and improved partial retirement arrangements over a year ago thanks to record participation in warning strikes.