Following consultations with its seven regional federations, IG Metall, Germany’s largest trade union in terms of membership numbers, announced on the 02 February that it would enter into the upcoming collective negotiations recommending a pay rise of between 4.5% and 5% over 12 months for the 3.8 million workers in the sector. The union views profitability levels in the sector as solid and forecasts for the sector from three quarters of the works council range for the most part from ‘stable’ to ‘very good’. Businesses belonging to the employers’ federation, Gesamtmetall are already unhappy at having to accede to a 3.4% raise in 2015 and for them the latest recommendation is unacceptable. Gesamtmetall is calling attention to uncertainty on the international political and economic landscapes as well as a ‘worrisome trend’ of wage rises outpacing gains in productivity.
A wage rise based on three elements. The current metals collective agreement expires on 31 March 2016. As is the tradition the social partners in the metals, machine tools, automobiles, and electro technical sectors hone their arguments and define their objectives. On Tuesday 02 February, IG Metall revealed that its recommendation for a wage rise would be between 4.5% and 5% and would apply to the 3.8 million workers in the sector. In 2015, the union had demanded a 5.5% wage rise and secured 3.
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