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Workers at a blast furnace in Eisenhüttenstadt
Photo: Z1022 Patrick Pleul/ dpa
IG Metall and the employers have agreed on a new collective agreement for most of the steel industry in Germany.
The agreement for the 68,000 employees in the northwest German steel industry includes 6.5 percent more wages and salaries from August 1, as the steel employers' association and IG Metall announced after the fourth round of negotiations.
The collective agreement has a term of 18 months until the end of November 2023. For the months of June and July 2022, an additional energy bonus of 500 euros for workers and 200 euros for trainees was agreed.
IG Metall had called for an increase of 8.2 percent over a period of twelve months.
The agreement was preceded by nine-hour negotiations.
The results apply to the steelmakers from Thyssenkrupp, Salzgitter and ArcelorMittal, among others.
Companies are currently benefiting from the high steel prices, but are also struggling with increased energy and raw material costs.
IG Metall had increased the pressure on employers with warning strikes in the past few days.
"In times of high inflation, we have achieved a negotiation result that immediately brings a significant increase of 6.5 percent in the purse of employees," said the negotiator and head of IG Metall in North Rhine-Westphalia, Knut Giesler.
And: "This is the highest percentage increase in the steel industry for 30 years."
Signal for the metal and electrical industry?
The lower salary groups and trainees also benefited above average from the energy bonus.
"With this result, the employees get their rightful share in the currently very good economic situation in the industry."
With great effort, the parties to the collective bargaining agreement managed to come to a justifiable conclusion, said the chairman of the Steel Employers' Association, Heinz Jörg Fuhrmann.
“It is to be hoped that the risks looming on the horizon for the German economy will at least not unfold their full force.
Should this happen anyway, the collective bargaining partners will have to find solutions.«
The agreement in the steel industry is also likely to play a role in the forthcoming wage round for employees in the metal and electrical industry.
IG Metall wants to report on its demands on Monday.
According to a report in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, IG Metall boss Jörg Hofmann had demanded at least seven percent more wages and salaries for employees.
Apr/Reuters