Munich (dpa / lby) - Before the third round of collective bargaining in the Bavarian metal and electrical industry, IG Metall accused the companies of presenting their situation too poorly. The "employers' panic scenarios are greatly exaggerated," said the district head of the union in Bavaria, Johann Horn, on Thursday. His statement is based on a survey of works councils from 349 companies in the sector in the country.
According to the union survey, profits are developing well or very well in half of the companies. 84 percent of the works councils reported good or very good capacity utilization. "This clearly puts the complaints from companies about the effects of material shortages into perspective," it said. In addition, 31 percent of the companies are currently building up permanent staff, only 10 percent are reducing it.
When it comes to passing on increased costs, the trade union comes to a more positive assessment than the employers: 80 percent of the companies could at least partially pass them on, only 11 percent not at all. The employers' associations bayme and vbm, on the other hand, emphasized on the basis of their own member survey a week ago: "The price explosion is putting companies in a critical position." Nine out of ten companies expected a drop in profits.
A possible explanation for the diverging assessments is the time perspective: the union looks primarily at the current situation, while the employers often refer to the future.
The two sides are currently struggling to reach a collective agreement. The next round in Bavaria is scheduled for next week. IG Metall is demanding eight percent more salary, but there was no offer from employers in the first two rounds.
