On 22 February, the IG BCE union (chemicals/energy/construction & public works) presented its collective bargaining demands ahead of regional preliminary rounds that start on 02 March (Hesse), and national level negotiations that commence in Hanover on 21 March. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, high inflation is now the dominant topic for debate, with businesses worried that it will lead to demands for excessively high salary rises.
With its 580,000 employees, the chemical and energy sector is the first heavy-weight sector to negotiate amid inflation running at a rate of 3.1% and estimated (Bundesbank forecast) to reach as high as 4% over the course of 2022. While the IG BCE union did not refer to a specific a number, its vice-president Ralf Sikorski did say that in the end it is “out of the question that salaries and training allowances aren’t higher than the inflation rate.” The vice-president argued that such increases
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