Sporting goods: Adidas leaves collective bargaining – criticism of the union

The second largest sporting goods manufacturer Adidas worldwide leaves collective bargaining at its home location in Germany. An Adidas spokeswoman confirmed the German press agency’s corresponding information from the IG BCE union. “We can confirm that we have switched to membership in the employers’ association without a tariff commitment,” said the spokeswoman.

Adidas complains of lack of flexibility

Adidas justified the step with a lack of flexibility in the tariff structure. “Our employees are the best in the industry. In order for it to stay that way, we have to be able to offer salaries outside of a tariff structure and to create attractive development opportunities – collective and non -tariff,” says the statement.

A demand for more wage groups and thus a significant expansion of the collective bargaining to non -tariff employee groups would take this flexibility, it continued as a reason. The union also called for a bonus for union members. This was not negotiable for Adidas – even in the sense of all employees. However, the company assured that any wage increases that would be negotiated in the tariff round are still valid for the 4,600 employees at Adidas in Germany.

Union: roughly unsportsmanlike

The IG BCE union criticized the step sharply and called it “grossly unsportsmanlike”. “With this exit from the collective bargaining community, Adidas leaves the path of social partnership and fair play,” said deputy IG BCE chairman Birgit Biermann. “In the future, the employees will be completely exposed to the will of their management in the development of their wages and working conditions. We will not accept that,” she announced. Adidas now belongs to a small minority of talented people among the 40 DAX groups.

Adidas’s justification described the union as “complete nonsense”. The new regulation would have brought various advantages for the non -tariff employees, including regular working hours and paid overtime.