IG Metall starts strike vote

GERMANY: Following the collapse on April 19 of collective bargaining talks between IG Metall, the IMF-affiliated German metalworkers' union, and Gesamtmetall, the employers' association for the metal and electrical industry, a strike vote will begin tomorrow (April 25) among IG Metall members in the key regions of Baden-Württemberg and Berlin-Brandenburg. The Executive Board of the 2.7 million-strong metal union gave the green light for the strike ballot at its meeting yesterday. Negotiations kicked off on February 7, with IG Metall pushing for a 6.5 per cent wage rise. However, after dismissing as unacceptable initial offers from the employers of a 2 per cent increase for this year and another 2 per cent for 2003, the union started warning strikes on March 25, which saw many thousands of metalworkers down their tools at a large number of companies. Commenting on the employers' latest proposal of a 3.3 per cent increase for 15 months (amounting to 3.25 per cent for the year), Klaus Zwickel, president of the union, said that "such an offer is, and remains, a provocation." The union is demanding at least 4 per cent. The strike ballot will be completed on April 30, with a three-fourths majority needed for approval. Should the result be in favour of strike action, the union's leadership will then decide if such action will indeed be taken, and which companies will be targeted. With regard to another issue in the collective bargaining talks, the basis for an umbrella agreement bringing together blue-collar wages and white-collar salaries into one wage scale has been reached in Baden-Württemberg. There will be only one category of employee (no longer blue-collar and white-collar), upon which will depend job qualifications, job content, etc. This agreement will have an effect on other regions to find a similar settlement.