Cologne/Düsseldorf (dpa/lnw) - According to IG Metall, thousands of employees again took part in warning strikes in the wage dispute in the metal and electrical industry in North Rhine-Westphalia on Thursday. By the afternoon, the union had more than 16,400 participants from 131 companies. The biggest actions were at Ford in Cologne, where 6,400 employees had temporarily stopped working by the afternoon. In Gevelsberg, the union counted 1,300 employees from 30 companies at a rally. In Siegen, 1,300 employees from three companies took part in warning strikes.
The union announced further warning strikes for Friday in North Rhine-Westphalia. The union announced that the intensity would be increased. Work stoppages are planned in a total of 165 companies. The largest warning strikes are planned in Düsseldorf and Brakel.
In the previous regional negotiations, the employers had each offered one-off payments of 3,000 euros and also an unspecified increase in the wage tables for a period of 30 months. The union, on the other hand, is demanding eight percent more money for the approximately 3.9 million employees nationwide for a period of twelve months. Around 700,000 people are employed in the sector in NRW. The fourth round of negotiations in NRW is scheduled for November 10th. In Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, negotiations will take place for the fourth time on November 8th.
