Number of strikes has tended to increase in recent years, although at a low level. Experts see the reasons for this in the real wage losses and the shortage of skilled workers.
In Germany only unions are allowed to organize strikes, and only for demands that can be regulated in collective agreements. Political strikes like those in France against pension reform are banned in Germany. The German Trade Unions Federation (DGB) with its eight member unions increased slightly for the first time in many years in 2003.