Collective bargaining: No rapprochement in the metal collective bargaining dispute in Bavaria

Frankfurt. Even after the latest initiative by IG Metall, there are no signs of any rapprochement in the collective bargaining negotiations in the metal industry, which were accompanied by warning strikes. The employer side in Bavaria said on Monday that the special collective agreement proposed by the union was “not an offer, but only the rejection of our proposals”.

The collective bargaining parties exchanged ideas about the “instrument for securing investments, innovations, locations and employment” and expressed their willingness to continue discussions. The Association of the Bavarian Metal and Electrical Industry (vbm) and IG Metall Bayern ended the third round of talks in Munich without any results.

IG Metall wants to use the temporary regulation to enable companies under economic pressure to fall below collective bargaining standards if there are binding commitments to investments and jobs in return. According to the timetable agreed in Baden-Württemberg last week, employers should comment on this proposal on Monday.

The negotiation for the North Rhine-Westphalia district in Düsseldorf, which begins in the afternoon, is intended to determine whether both sides are flexible enough to continue negotiating on this concept as well as on IG Metall's monetary demands.

If so, the two largest districts of Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia could work in tandem to try to reach a pilot conclusion as soon as possible. The representatives of both regions are already taking part in the other negotiation. If the fronts remain hardened, IG Metall has threatened to escalate the warning strikes.

Last week, more than 413,000 employees nationwide stopped work for a short time in more than 2,800 actions. The next stage of industrial action, which would still be considered a warning strike, would be 24-hour strikes. Only then would there be regional strike votes by union members and unlimited strikes in an unresolved collective bargaining dispute.

The employers sharply criticized the warning strikes. They had submitted an offer that IG Metall rejected as a loss. From November onwards, the union is demanding five percent more money for a period of twelve months as well as regulations to secure employment for the 3.7 million employees in the industry nationwide. High-earning companies should also pay a profit share.

Employers are currently offering a one-off payment in July 2027, which would be between 500 and 850 euros depending on the earnings situation, but can also be canceled for companies in crisis. From July 2028 they want to increase collective wages by 1.3 percent.

Because of the crisis in large parts of the industry, there could be no compensation for inflation, the employers explained. They also called for more options than before to be able to automatically lower tariff standards. IG Metall rejects this because it would undermine the collective agreement. “Employers have so far been demanding a blanket and automatic waiver from employees in order to improve profits without anything in return,” said IG Metall boss Bavaria, Horst Ott. “That won’t happen with IG Metall.”