Germany: is bringing tariff unity back with a law not such a good idea?

Bring tariff unity back with a law.  A federal government spokesman announced that the next mediation meeting between the government coalition parties would look at the question of bringing tariff unity back by law.  This comes as the small GDL train drivers’ union is still organizing strike action in private businesses to impose a specific sectoral agreement in addition to the one negotiated for the rest of the rail industry (see our dispatches No.  110034 and 110055).  The question for the government is to answer, or not, the joint initiative presented on June 23, 2010 by the BDA and DGB to bring back, via a law, the principle of ‘One company, one collective agreement.’  All in all, the two organizations would like the trade union with the largest number of members to impose its collective agreement to all employees and other unions in the company and/or sector.  Indeed, on June 23, 2010, the Federal Labor Court confirmed one of its own decrees on the multiplicity of collective bargaining in businesses.  This confirmation acknowledged the possibility for several collective agreements to coexist within the same company (see our dispatch No.  100511 and 100100).  With this ruling, the BAG invalidated previous rulings generally in favor of tariff unity.  So far, tariff unity has never been imposed by law.  Since then, the BDA and the DGB have not departed from their proposal.  Yet, among government and union ranks, there is a lot of criticism against a bill which could actually end up limiting the right to strike.