Germany: 4.1% increase for chemical workers

Agreement difficult to find but differentiated.  It was after nine meetings at regional level and one at federal level that the chemistry partners, gathered in Bad Honnef, near Bonn, reached a compromise for a new sectoral collective agreement.  The talks started at the end of February 2011.  For a sector where the social partners usually find an agreement quickly, one can say that these negotiations were difficult.  It is true that the IG BCE’s wage claims, 7% over a year, were particularly high.  For the moment, it is the highest claim presented in any sector since the beginning of the year.  Because the sector is starting up again and because the collective agreement signed in early 2010 simply provided for a bonus ranging between €500 and €715, the IG BCE considered it was time employees were rewarded for their sacrifice.  The union chose the following slogan for these negotiations: “It is our recovery.”  A few days ago, employers said these claims were “unacceptable,” drawing attention to the economic difference between SMEs and large businesses in the sector.  In the end, the agreement reached takes account of these differences and contains several provisions for SMEs only.  Hans-Carsten Hansen, negotiator for the Bundesarbeitgeberverband Chemie – BAVC, said that taking account of the multiplicity of situations was a major obstacle in the negotiations.  Nevertheless, he rejoiced with this differentiated agreement even though he said the increase was “barely bearable.”  For his part, IG BCE leader Michael Vassiliadis rejoiced: “Last year, we signed an agreement as a bridge between the crisis and recovery.  Now, as promised, we’ve signed a growth agreement.  This shows that social partnership in chemistry remains a solid basis to provide a reasonable and fitted answer to the most difficult problems.”