Metallers increase the pressure on employers with a warning strike

A day before the possibly decisive round of negotiations in the wage conflict in the metal and electrical industry, thousands of workers in the north increased the pressure again with a warning strike. According to IG Metall Nord, all five northern German states were affected by the work stoppages on Wednesday.

The rallies in Hamburg and Bremen were attended by 5,000 and 2,500 metalworkers, respectively, as a union spokesman said. In Hanover and Osnabrück there were almost 7,000 people, in Kiel 1,500 and in Rostock 800 employees. Overall, the union had planned marches and rallies in 13 cities on its “coastal action day”.

According to the union, the district manager of IG Metall Coast, Daniel Friedrich, said at the rally in Hamburg that the “Coast Action Day” was a powerful signal to employers: “Make the way clear for a solution on Thursday in Baden-Württemberg or we’ll be there too stormy weeks ahead along the coast.” Without a negotiation result in Ludwigsburg, there would also be 24-hour warning strikes, a ballot and an indefinite strike in the north.

The IG Metall demands eight percent more money for a period of twelve months for the approximately 3.9 million employees nationwide. In the negotiations that have been conducted regionally so far, the employers have each offered one-off payments of 3,000 euros and also an unspecified increase in the wage tables for a period of 30 months.

IG Metall is now opting for a pilot agreement in the south-west. The federal board of the union gave the green light on Monday evening for an attempt to reach an agreement in the Baden-Württemberg district. The negotiations are scheduled to begin in the fifth round on Thursday in Ludwigsburg. Friedrich emphasized: "Employees must be relieved immediately, the monthly wages must rise permanently and the unspeakable demand for a flexible Christmas bonus from the table."