Germany: metal partners sign “historical” collective agreement on job security with a minimum wage increase

l and Gesamtmetall (employers) in the “pilot region,” North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) announced, on Thursday, February 18 in Düsseldorf, that they reached an agreement on wages and job security in metalworking. The agreement was signed for 23 months, until March 31, 2012. Regarding wages, it provides for a single 320 euros bonus for the first year, and then a 2.7% increase on April 1, 2011. For businesses that appealed to short-time working for at least 12 months, a chapter on job security, entitl