“We congratulate our colleagues on this hard-fought and successful negotiation result. In this way, IG Metall has secured the future and implemented healthier work. Tens of thousands of employees put pressure on this, going on all-day warning strikes for the first time.
The new collective agreement is groundbreaking for the steel industry: the options for reducing working hours with compensation for wages are a role model. Short full-time work with equal pay relieves the burden on older shift workers. And the option of a collective and financed 32-hour week makes employment more secure in times of upheaval in the industry.”
Background: On Saturday night, IG Metall agreed on a new collective agreement with employers in the northwest German steel industry:
Employees in the northwest German steel industry will receive a tax- and duty-free inflation compensation bonus of 1,500 euros in January 2024. Another 1,500 euros will be paid out by November 2024. From January 2025, employees’ salaries will increase by 5.5 percent.
In order to secure employment, regular working hours can be collectively reduced from 35 to up to 32 hours. Employees receive partial compensation for this.
Employees can individually reduce their working hours to 33.6 hours (short full-time). Employees over 60 years of age who do shift work receive partial wage compensation.
Details on igmetall.de as well as at the IG Metall North Rhine-Westphalia