The IG Metall union has threatened strikes against employers in the current collective bargaining round, affecting four million employees. Christiane Benner, the head of IG Metall, told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” that the union would escalate its demands if employers fail to meet its requirements, stating, “If the employers stonewall, we will put extra pressure on our demands. We are ready for a strike.”
To address the specific challenges facing the automotive industry, Benner proposes a two-part agreement. This includes a general wage increase large enough to allow the auto sector to remain viable, coupled with a collective agreement for profit sharing so that employed workers can benefit from the success of booming companies.
Benner also dismissed certain demands coming from Mercedes, such as calls for longer working hours, labeling them pure provocation. She asserted that Mercedes’ CEO, Ola Källenius, should proceed with the conflict if he wishes. Furthermore, she criticized German automotive executives, arguing that the industry leaders have made numerous mistakes. She insisted that German automakers must address their internal bureaucracy, pursue innovation, increase investment, and enter new markets. She challenged the suggestion that automakers want to introduce 40-hour workweeks while simultaneously “sleeping through the storm.”
Addressing the media’s impression that IG Metall has accepted the layoff of 50,000 jobs at VW, Benner firmly denied this. She asserted that if VW has intentions regarding workforce reductions, they must negotiate these terms with the union. She stressed that the employees deserve respect for their work, stating that instead of receiving future prospects, VW employees are constantly being “slapped in the neck” by decisions made by the executive board.
