Overview
- IG Metall organised the first coordinated warning strikes in Bavaria on Monday, calling actions at 37 companies that the union says involved about 3,800 workers and included a 300-person rally in Königsberg and a planned night-shift gathering at Audi in Ingolstadt.
- The union’s core demand is a 12-month deal with a 5% pay rise and a €110 boost to apprentice pay, which it says is needed to stop real-wage losses from inflation.
- Employers have offered a two-year package with a one-off payment equal to 1% of annual salary in July 2027 and a 1.3% tariff increase from July 2028, an offer unions say falls below inflation and aims to limit labour costs.
- After a second round of bargaining produced no rapprochement, IG Metall regional leaders including Horst Ott said strike activity will be increased this week to raise pressure on employers.
- The wider context is that Germany’s metal and electrical sector uses centralised collective bargaining and the end of the legal peace obligation makes warning strikes the main leverage for unions to force movement in talks, with further actions likely to affect production schedules and worker income in the coming days.