Germany’s largest union, IG Metall, has launched an initial round of strikes within collective bargaining in the metalworking and electrical sectors, with the participation of some 38,000 employees in 220 protest actions carried out this Monday at their workplaces.
The union organization has announced that it has called on thousands of wage earners to carry out lightning stoppages in more than 2,000 plants and factories across the country until the end of this week.
Even during the weekend, smaller mobilizations were carried out at certain sites, affecting night and weekend shifts. However, this Monday the pressure increased with the mass taking to the streets of members to make their demands visible.
Among the most notable protests is a demonstration in Coblenza, in western Germany, while in Berlin the strike began at dawn at Siemens Energy with a one-hour stoppage. Throughout the day, production interruptions have occurred in companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Rheinmetall and Siemens Mobility, among others, and the mobilizations are expected to gain more strength this Tuesday.
The temporary stoppages are impacting key industrial branches, such as automotive, mechanical engineering, electronics and metal fabrication. The protests revolve around the working conditions and wages of nearly 3.7 million workers covered by the regional collective agreement for the metal and electrical industries. So far, two rounds of talks have been held without positions being brought closer together.
IG Metall is demanding a 5% wage increase over twelve months, in addition to clear commitments to maintaining employment and plants. The employers’ association, for its part, has dismissed the mobilizations as "inappropriate gestures of force" and has responded with an offer that includes a one-time payment next year and a wage increase of 1.3% from July 2028, citing the delicate economic situation Germany is going through.
"We will not accept that," warned union representative Knut Giesler, stressing that "the employers’ offer is well below the inflation rate, despite the fact that the economy is beginning to show the first signs of recovery". Likewise, he pointed out that the proposal does not cover the rising cost of living or guarantee investments, job stability or a clear horizon for industrial plants.
At the same time, the business federation Gesamtmetall maintains that high labor costs are part of the causes of the deindustrialization the country is experiencing. Since 2019, 350,000 jobs would have been destroyed in the metalworking and electrical sector, and another 300,000 would be at risk because many companies are operating below their capacity.
"To reverse this trend, it is necessary to reduce costs in the country with regard to taxes, energy, bureaucracy and labor costs," has defended the chief executive, Oliver Zander.