10 April, 2011
Workers in the chemicals sector scored the highest 2011 pay gains yet in all German industrial and service sectors, thanks to mobilisation rallies, worker involvement, and the bargaining tenacity of ICEM affiliate IGBCE. On the final day (31 March) of the second round of federal talks for 550,000 workers of 1,900 companies in Bad Honnef, a 14-month pay increase of 4.1% was won.
The increase will become effective at different times in different regions: retroactive to 1 March for chemical workers in North Rhine, Rheinland-Pfalz, and Hessen Rückwirkend; on 1 April in Westfalen, Bayern, Baden-Württemberg, Niedersachsen/Bremen, Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg, and Berlin; and 1 May in Saarland and the North-east.
The agreement also gives flexibility for employers still recovering from the economic crisis to effectuate the wage increase in May, while most of the major chemical companies that are on strong standing will have already given the increase.
Of particular note, the IGBCE and the chemical employers’ association, BAVC, agreed to add small- and medium-sized businesses to the unique “Start in den Beruf” programme, a “start your active job” project that places young people into chemical enterprises with opportunities for career enhancement and advancement.
Michael Vassiliadis Peter Hausmann
These employers will now receive subsides from an industry-funded bank that will offset apprenticeship costs for companies. The highly-successful programme developed in social talks in the mid-2000s between IGBCE and BAVC has brought close to 3,000 young persons into relevant positions in Germany’s keystone chemicals industry.
The 2011-12 accord also grants current apprentices a €35-per-month increase.
“Last year, we signed an agreement that was a bridge between crisis and recovery,” said IGBCE President Michael Vassiliadis. “Now, as we predicted, we signed a growth agreement. This shows the social partnership in chemicals remains on solid footing in solving some very difficult problems.”
IGBCE Head of Collective Bargaining Peter Hausmann added: “We fought hard for this achievement. We mobilised and without the outstanding support from workers in the various enterprises, we would not have come to this result.”
An ICEM report on IGBCE’s two months of mobilisations leading up the final Bad Honnef settlement can be found here.