Frankfurt am Main – In their second week of warning strike, employees in the metal and electrical industries have increased the pressure on employers again. Nationwide, over 511,000 employees have demonstrated their willingness to fight since the peace obligation expired. The warning strikers supported the IG Metall union’s demand for more money for better purchasing power and the economy and protested against employers’ continued lack of improvement in their offers.
Christiane Benner, First Chairwoman of IG Metall: “This movement in front of the factory gates must finally be followed by movement at the negotiating table. Our colleagues are determined and rightly impatient.” IG Metall is continuing the warning strikes until the next collective bargaining hearing on November 11th in Hamburg. The leadership of the union has commissioned the IG Metall districts of the coast and Bavaria to attempt a solution.
So far, the only offer on the table from employers is not to increase salaries until July 2025. The increases are to take place in two stages over a period of 27 months. That wouldn’t even offset the expected inflation. IG Metall, on the other hand, demands 7 percent for a term of 12 months. The union is also calling for trainees to be given significantly better positions. Nadine Boguslawski, collective bargaining officer at IG Metall: “It shouldn’t be the case that our skilled workers of tomorrow have to work part-time. Trainees therefore deserve an attractiveness boost of 170 euros more.” In addition, IG Metall is committed to ensuring that more employees have more time sovereignty through a better choice between time and money.
Big actions in the IG Metall districts
On Monday, 12,000 early and night shift employees at Mercedes-Benz in Sindelfingen (Baden-Württemberg) went on temporary strike. In the IG Metall district of Mitte, around 650 employees accompanied the third collective bargaining negotiations for the Thuringia region with a protest on Tuesday. In Leipzig (Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony district), BMW’s night shift with 1,500 colleagues pulled up to the gate at 3:30 a.m.
On Wednesday, more than 2,500 colleagues went on warning strike in Osnabrück city center. In addition to VW and KME, employees from 12 companies stopped work there. On Wednesday, 2,500 employees from 22 companies in Lemgo (North Rhine-Westphalia) campaigned for IG Metall’s demands.
In Bremen (Coast district), a total of 8,200 employees from Mercedes-Benz, Airbus, thyssenkruppp Automation Engineering and other companies went on warning strike on Thursday. 2,300 employees met for the rally near the Weser Stadium. In Munich (Bavaria district), 4,000 BMW employees demonstrated loudly at a demonstration and rally in front of the factory. In Freisen (Saarland, Mitte district), 800 employees from Hörmann, Diehl Defense and other companies put pressure on people with a demonstration march through the city.