On September 18, the Austrian metalworkers’ union, Pro.Ge, presented its claims for the annual collective negotiations in the sector to three of the six federations in the industry. The union leaders will meet with the other three federations tomorrow, September 24, including the biggest, the FMMI, whose affiliated companies employ 120,000 of the sector’s 180,000 staff. Employers wanted these separate presentations as, last year; they put an end to joint negotiations with the six federations – which Pro.Ge still refuses. As usual, the union didn’t present figured claims. However, experts assess union claims around 4-4.5 percent for a possible agreement around 3-3.3 percent. For their part, employers want an agreement making working time more flexible across the sector. (Ref. 130561)
Joint or separate negotiations. The cat and mouse game between Pro.Ge and the 6 employers’ organizations in the Austrian metal industry continues. The separate presentation of the unions’ claims, an event which traditionally starts the most important collective negotiations in the Austrian economy, was imposed by employers, in 2012. They forced the union to negotiate separately with all the federations (see article No. 120532). They justified this decision by the need to take account of th
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