The IG-Metall mostly wants to maintain jobs. “The automotive industry, machine-tool manufacturers and their suppliers are battling with unprecedented drops in orders. The key priority is to stabilize businesses’ workforce in spite of the crisis” explained the IG-Metall in a press release. Its “Collective Agreement Committee” (Tarifkommission), the body which determines the unions’ claims, is going to meet on November 4. In an interview granted to the Stuttgarter Zeitung, Bertold Huber also explained that the IG-Metall wouldn’t take account of the usual system used to calculate minimum wage claims, i.e. the total of the annual inflation rate and annual productivity gains. Indeed, since inflation has been almost null for a few months and productivity decreasing because of massive appeal to short-time working, the system isn’t really interesting for the union. As expected, Dieter Hundt, leader of the Union of German Employers (BDA) agreed with Mr. Huber: “His words were remarkable realistic” he declared. Peter Haussmann, wage bargaining specialist at the IG BCE, the chemistry union, also said that his union was ready to accept wage moderation to maintain employment. The IG BCE’s “Tarifkommission” will meet on November 23, 2009.
used to calculate minimum wage claims, i.e. the total of the annual inflation rate and annual productivity gains. Indeed, since inflation has been almost null for a few months and productivity decreasing because of massive appeal to short-time working, the system isn’t really interesting for the union. As expected, Dieter Hundt, leader of the Union of German Employers (BDA) agreed with Mr. Huber: “His words were remarkable realistic” he declared. Peter Haussmann, wage bargaining specialist at t
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