Initially, the wage committee of the three unions (IG BCE, IG-Metall and Verdi) was asking for a 6 percent wage increase, the extension of the job security agreement until 2018, and a new apprenticeship agreement. However, the unions’ chief negotiator, Holger Nieden, from the IG BCE, said he was satisfied with the agreement signed: “We have managed to sign a decent agreement in a particularly rough context for energy businesses.” In addition to the 2.7 percent increase, the union negotiator rejoiced with the commitments the company made in terms of job security. Thus, the management first accepted to extend the agreement ruling economic layoffs out by two months, until the end of February 2013. Then, in a special clause, it committed to start, in the days to come, new negotiations with the trade unions to renew this job security agreement beyond that date. The negotiations will also concern the apprenticeship agreement unions want to improve. The talks should end in the first 2012 quarter. “The new agreement takes account of our three key claims” Nieden said.
After three tough bargaining rounds, the management of the energy group, Vattenfall Europe AG, and the three German unions, IG BCE (chemistry), IG-Metall (metal) and Verdi (services) reached, on February 14, an agreement for the group’s 15,000 German employees. They will receive a 2.7 percent over 13 months. The group also commits, in a special clause, to immediately start bargaining with unions for the renewal, after February 2013, of the agreement ruling out economic layoffs. (Ref. 120111
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