A new round of negotiations is pending: According to IG Metall North Rhine-Westphalia, a total of 3,770 employees from 13 companies have stopped working in north-west Germany. Who is following?
In the collective bargaining dispute in the north-west German iron and steel industry, the first warning strikes took place on Wednesday after the end of the peace obligation.
According to IG Metall North Rhine-Westphalia, a total of 3,770 employees from 13 companies stopped working in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. With the work stoppages, the union wants to increase the pressure on employers before the third round of negotiations on June 10.
The biggest action was at Salzgitter AG, where around 3,000 employees took part in a rally. There were also campaigns in Finnentrop, Gelsenkirchen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Bottrop (all in North Rhine-Westphalia). Further warning strikes are planned for Thursday in Bremen, Duisburg (NRW) and Dillenburg (Hesse), among others.
In the wage dispute in the East German iron and steel industry, the first warning strikes are also scheduled for Thursday. In seven companies, the employees want to stop working, as the IG Metall Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony announced in Berlin.
The tariff area of the north-west German steel industry primarily includes North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Bremen. According to IG Metall, 68,000 people are employed in the industry there. Around 8,000 people are employed in the East German steel industry. The union is demanding, among other things, 8.2 percent more wages for employees in both collective bargaining districts. The employers had offered 2100 euros as a one-off payment in the first round of negotiations.
