During the collective bargaining for the 68,000 employees in the north-west German steel industry, IG Metall and the employers reached an agreement during the night. After the fourth round of negotiations, the steel employers’ association and IG Metall announced that employees should receive a 6.5 percent increase in wages and salaries from August 1st. The collective agreement has a term of 18 months.
For the months of June and July 2022, an additional energy bonus of 500 euros for workers and 200 euros for trainees was agreed. IG Metall had demanded an increase of 8.2 percent.
“In times of high inflation, we have achieved a negotiation result that immediately brings a significant increase of 6.5 percent in the wallets of employees. That is the highest percentage increase in the steel industry for 30 years,” said Knut Giesler, IG Metall negotiator.