Overview
- Trumpf chief Nicola Leibinger‑Kammüller said on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at the company’s Ditzingen results press conference that increasing working hours is reasonable provided pay does not fall and individual capacity is considered.
- Her comments followed a public push by Mercedes‑Benz to discuss a return to a 40‑hour workweek without extra pay, turning working hours into a central issue for Germany’s key industries.
- The remarks heighten tensions in the ongoing Metall‑und‑Elektro tariff round where IG Metall has demanded a 5 percent pay rise for 12 months and the first talks ended without any employer offer.
- Leibinger‑Kammüller called the union’s demand “completely over the top” given current conditions and urged both sides to find a middle ground to avoid heavy strain on companies.
- Watch for the next bargaining rounds and possible warning strikes from November because the dispute links firm-level competitiveness arguments with immediate effects on workers’ pay and schedules.