Munich (dpa/lby) - The collective bargaining for the 855,000 employees in the Bavarian metal and electrical industry will enter the fourth round on Tuesday. IG Metall and the employers' association vbm meet at 4 p.m. in the House of Bavarian Business in Munich. The positions are far apart, both sides hope for a rapprochement - otherwise there is a risk of an escalation of the collective bargaining conflict.
Since the end of the peace obligation, 32,000 metalheads had taken part in warning strikes in Bavaria alone. On the night of Tuesday, Audi's night shift was called to a two-hour strike, and IG Metall has announced further actions for Tuesday.
In the nationwide collective bargaining conflict, IG Metall is demanding eight percent more wages for a contract term of twelve months. Employers have offered a one-off payment of 3,000 euros net for a period of 30 months, as well as an unspecified increase in the wage tables.
In view of the high inflation, IG Metall district manager Johann Horn now expects "a significantly improved substantial offer" from employers. Vbm negotiator Angelique Renkhoff-Mücke has so far referred to the difficult situation of many companies: There is no growth to be distributed.
The wage agreements for the 3.9 million metalworkers in Germany expired in September. If no rapprochement is achieved this week, IG Metall threatens industry with much longer warning strikes in the next few weeks. A ballot and indefinite strikes are already being discussed.
